Corinthians meet Pato Futsal again in LNF play-offs, path ahead | OneFootball

The matchup was defined after the final round of the first phase. On the night of this Saturday (8), Corinthians hosted Pato itself at Wlamir Marques and won 2-0. Lucas Oliveira opened the scoring, while Fabinho netted the second goal and confirmed the result that secured Alvinegro a place among the qualifiers.

After securing qualification for the knockout stage of the National Futsal League (LNF), Corinthians already knows what its first obstacle will be in the hunt for the title. Timão will face Pato Futsal, the very opponent it met in the round that closed the competition’s first phase. The first and second legs are scheduled for the first week of September.

Photo: Beto Miller / Corinthians

The team coached by Fernando Malafaia finished the qualifying stage in 11th place after recording four wins, four draws, and seven losses. All of Corinthians’ victories came at Wlamir Marques Gymnasium. Pato, meanwhile, finished in sixth place, with seven wins, three draws, and five losses.

In the history between the two teams, the numbers also show balance. Corinthians and Pato have already faced each other 13 times, with four wins for Alvinegro, six draws, and three victories for the team from Paraná. Timão scored 27 goals in those meetings, an average of 2.08 per match, while conceding 26, an average of two per game.

Playoff regulations

The quarterfinal spot will be decided over two matches. If the teams draw both games or each side gets one win, the decision will go to extra time, with two five-minute periods.

If the tie remains after extra time, Pato Futsal will advance, since it finished the first phase in a higher position than Corinthians. Whoever advances will face Magnus, which ended the qualifying phase in second place overall, in the LNF quarterfinals.

Video Support will be used in the knockout stage

The 2026 playoffs will also feature a new officiating tool. The LNF will begin using Video Support (VS), a resource similar to the VAR used in outdoor soccer, but limited to the situations provided for in the competition protocol.

The tool may be used in plays involving goal or no goal, penalty or no penalty, direct red card, mistaken identity of a player, and verification of the sixth foul. The officiating team may also use the system to analyze possible clock errors, confirm goals, and check whether the ball crossed the line before the signal marking the end of the period.

Each team may request one unsuccessful challenge per period, which will not carry over to the following period. If the matchup goes to extra time, the teams will be entitled to one additional unsuccessful challenge.

Corinthians chases its third LNF title

Qualified for another knockout stage, Corinthians is trying to add to its trophy collection in the National League. The club has already lifted the trophy in 2016 and 2022 and is seeking its third title in the competition.

Last season, Timão reached the LNF final, but ended up as runner-up after being defeated by Jaraguá in the final.

Before beginning the playoff campaign, Fernando Malafaia’s squad will have Paulista Championship commitments. The next one will be against Botucatu on Wednesday (12) at 7 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Professor Osni Bertotti Leme Paralympic Gymnasium.

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