Corinthians out for revenge in BH after 2018 cup final loss | OneFootball

Corinthians faces Cruzeiro this Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Mineirão, in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil semifinals. In addition to fighting for a spot in the final, Timão is looking to improve its terrible recent record in Belo Horizonte and seeks revenge for the frustrating runner-up finish in 2018.

The black-and-white club’s numbers in the Minas Gerais capital are very poor. In the last nine matches played in the city, the team has not won a single time, suffering six defeats and three draws. The last victory for the São Paulo team in BH was ten years ago, in 2015, by 1-0.

Thirst for revenge

Corinthians has an ‘extra motivation’ to want to eliminate Cruzeiro and advance to the Copa do Brasil final. The team is trying to get payback on Raposa after the bitter defeat in the tournament’s final in 2018.

On that occasion, Timão was defeated in the first leg, in Minas Gerais, by 1-0. In the return match in Itaquera, the team conceded a goal in the first half and equalized in the second half with Jadson. Pedrinho even scored a beautiful goal that would have put Corinthians ahead and forced a penalty shootout, but the goal was disallowed by VAR due to a foul at the start of the play. The referee’s decision outraged the black-and-white side.

After the disallowed goal, Corinthians couldn’t react and still conceded a second goal, scored by Arrascaeta, ending up as runners-up.

(Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/Ag. Corinthians)

Cruzeiro vs Corinthians

Cruzeiro and Corinthians face each other in home-and-away matches for a spot in the Copa do Brasil final. The second leg will be held next Sunday at 6:00 p.m. (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena. If the aggregate score remains tied, the winner will be decided by penalties.

Impeccable campaign

Corinthians is experiencing a season of ups and downs, but boasts an impeccable campaign in the Copa do Brasil. Timão has six wins in six matches played in the competition, with eight goals scored and none conceded.

To reach the semifinals, Dorival Júnior’s team eliminated Novorizontino, archrival Palmeiras, and Athletico-PR. In addition to seeking a fourth title, Timão is also aiming for a spot in the 2026 Libertadores.

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