Corinthians lose after comeback away to rivals, out of Brazilian U20 | OneFootball

Corinthians bowed out of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship on Thursday afternoon. Playing at Arena Barueri, Timãozinho was beaten 3-1 by Palmeiras, coming from behind in the second leg of the quarterfinals, and was ultimately eliminated from the competition. Luiz Fernando scored the black-and-white side’s only goal.

For the decisive match, head coach William Batista once again had 17-year-old center-back Iago Machado available, after he returned from a spell with the Brazil Under-17 national team. The manager also had Dieguinho and Gui Negão, players who are already part of the senior squad. On the other hand, left-back Joãozinho was unavailable for the match. According to UOL Esporte, the player suffered an injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh and was not fit to play.

Photo: ©Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

With that, Corinthians started the derby with Matheus Corrêa; Pellegrin, Yago Melo, Iago Machado and Levy Dias; Caraguá, Bahia, Gui Amorim and Dieguinho; Gui Negão and Luiz Fernando. As options for the course of the match, William Batista had Nikão, Cauã Ribeiro, Lorenzo, Christian Oliveira, Pires, Christian Júnior, Nicollas, Ryan Evaristo, Gustavo Corrêa, Luiz Fábio Favela, Araújo and Pedro Thomas available on the bench.

On the other side, Palmeiras, coached by Allan Barcellos, took the field with Kauan Lima; João Gabriel, João Paulo, Koné, Pimenta, André Lucas, Fabiano, Luis Pacheco, Heittor, Felipe Teresa and Victor Gabriel.

The start of the match was marked by Palmeiras’ territorial dominance, as they created good chances and forced important saves from Matheus Corrêa. Even with less possession, Corinthians were clinical in one of their attacks and took the lead through Luiz Fernando.

After opening the scoring, Timãozinho had two clear chances to extend the lead, but failed to convert either of them. That lack of efficiency proved costly. Before halftime, Felipe Teresa found the net twice and put Palmeiras ahead on the scoreboard.

In the second half, Corinthians came back trying to put pressure on their opponent and looked to take control of the game in the opening minutes. However, that early intensity quickly faded, while Palmeiras managed the match, controlled possession, and closed down the spaces for a black-and-white comeback.

With a more scrappy second half and few chances, the home side made the most of one of the opportunities they created to widen the gap. Heittor scored Palmeiras’ third goal and put the final numbers on the derby.

The elimination brings Corinthians’ run in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship to an end. Until the end of the season, the club will only have the Paulista Under-20 Championship left to compete in, in addition to preparations for the 2027 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, scheduled for January.

Despite the quarterfinal exit, Timãozinho achieved its best Brasileirão Under-20 campaign since 2023, when it reached the semifinals and was eliminated by Palmeiras. In the following seasons, the team had not even managed to advance to the knockout stage.

Corinthians’ only title in the history of the competition was won in 2014, before the tournament began being organized by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). In that edition, the squad produced players such as Guilherme Arana, Marciel, and Malcom, who later earned places in the first team and played a part in important titles for the club.

Now, the team’s focus shifts to the Paulista Under-20 Championship. The next match is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, at 3 p.m., at Fazendinha, against Ponte Preta, in the seventh round of the state competition.

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