Corinthians seek to end nearly eight-year Libertadores KO goal drought | OneFootball

Corinthians have a negative streak they hope to leave behind this Thursday (20). Against Rosario Central of Argentina, in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16, Timão are not only chasing qualification but also looking to find the net in a knockout match of the tournament for the first time in nearly eight years.

The last time Corinthians scored in a Libertadores knockout match was on August 29, 2018. On that occasion, the team beat Colo-Colo of Chile 2-1 at Neo Química Arena, but were ultimately eliminated in the round of 16 because of the away-goals rule.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Ag. Corinthians

Since that match, the club have played seven knockout matches in the competition and failed to score in all of them. The run includes meetings with Boca Juniors, Guaraní, Nacional, Colo-Colo, Flamengo and now Rosario Central.

The drought began back in 2018. After beating Colo-Colo 2-1 at home, Corinthians had lost 1-0 in Chile. Since they needed to score to advance, the result ended up being insufficient to secure qualification.

The team only returned to a Libertadores knockout match in 2022. That year, Timão faced Boca Juniors in the round of 16 and drew 0-0 both in São Paulo and in Buenos Aires.

Even without finding the net in either match, Corinthians still managed to advance. Qualification was secured on penalties, 6-5, after another 0-0 draw in regular time. In the quarterfinals of that edition, however, the attack again failed to score. Against Flamengo, Corinthians lost 2-0 in the first leg at the Maracanã and also could not score in the 1-0 defeat in the return leg at Neo Química Arena.

Now, the scenario is repeating itself in 2026. In the first leg of the round of 16, played on August 13 at Gigante de Arroyito, Corinthians and Rosario Central drew 0-0. As a result, Timão head into the decisive match without having scored in a knockout match of the competition since 2018.

In addition to trying to end the scoring drought, Corinthians need to find the net to avoid having to rely on penalties. A win by any scoreline guarantees qualification for the quarterfinals, while another draw will send the decision to penalties. The match is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Neo Química Arena.

Corinthians’ most recent knockout matches in the Copa Libertadores:

Corinthians 2 x 1 Colo-Colo-CHI — 08/29/2018 — Round of 16

Boca Juniors 1 x 0 Corinthians — Round of 16 — 2013

Guaraní-PAR 2 x 0 Corinthians — Round of 16 — 2015

Nacional-URU 0 x 0 Corinthians — Round of 16 — 2016

Colo-Colo-CHI 1 x 0 Corinthians — Round of 16 — 2018

Boca Juniors 0 (5) x (6) 0 Corinthians — Round of 16 — 2022

Flamengo 1 x 0 Corinthians — Quarterfinals — 2022

Rosario Central-ARG 0 x 0 Corinthians — Round of 16 — 2026

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