Corinthians hail Gabriel Martinelli goal, recall youth spell | OneFootball

Brazil’s national team has qualified for the World Cup round of 16. This Monday, the team coached by Carlo Ancelotti came from behind to defeat Japan 2-1 in a match played at NRG Stadium in Houston, United States.

After the stoppage-time winner, Corinthians took to social media to celebrate Gabriel Martinelli’s performance, as he scored the goal that secured Brazil’s victory. The club posted a photo of the forward wearing the black-and-white shirt during his youth academy days and linked the tense qualification to the traditional “Corinthians way.”

Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

“IF IT’S NOT HARD-FOUGHT, IT’S NOT… From the #CorinthiansFutsal academy to the world! MARTINELLI DELIVERED FOR BRAZIL AGAINST JAPAN!”, the club wrote.

A declared Corinthians supporter, Martinelli began his sporting journey at Parque São Jorge. Between 2010 and 2014, the forward played in the club’s futsal youth ranks and also in its field football youth teams before leaving Timão at age 13, when his family moved to Itu.

It was at Ituano that the player rose to prominence on the national stage, attracting the interest of European football. In 2019, he was eventually transferred to Arsenal of England in a deal worth around R$ 30 million.

Since then, Martinelli has built a successful career at the London club. Wearing the Gunners shirt, he has made 278 appearances and scored 62 goals, in addition to taking part in the campaign that ended a 22-year drought without winning the Premier League.

In the match against Japan, the forward started on the bench and came on in the 21st minute of the second half, replacing Matheus Cunha. The Asian side had taken the lead through Shano, but Casemiro equalized before the closing stages.

Then, in the 50th minute of the second half, Martinelli received the ball inside the box and curled his shot. The effort also took a slight deflection off goalkeeper Suzuki and a touch off the post before ending up in the back of the net, sealing Brazil’s comeback.

The goal was the forward’s fifth in 26 matches for Brazil.

Now, Brazil awaits the definition of its opponent in the round of 16. The next rival will come from the clash between Ivory Coast and Norway, who face each other this Tuesday at 2 p.m. (Brasília time). Brazil’s knockout match is scheduled for next Sunday, the 5th, at 5 p.m.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.