Corinthians striker ends drought, climbs charts, on Libertadores draw | OneFootball

Corinthians traveled to Jorge Luís Hirschi Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, to face Estudiantes in the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals and came away with a 1-1 draw. With the result, Timão now needs a win by any scoreline to advance to the semifinals. If there is another draw, the decision will go to a penalty shootout.

Alvinegro’s goal in the match was scored by forward Kaio César, who found the net again for the first time in more than a month. Previously, his last goal had come on July 23, when the club from Parque São Jorge beat Remo 3-0 at Neo Química Arena in the 19th match of the national competition — he scored the second goal. Since then, he had gone 11 matches without scoring or providing an assist.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

The forward scored four minutes into the second half. Rodrigo Garro received the ball through the middle, drove forward, and played a through pass after spotting the No. 37 making a run behind the defense. The winger controlled it, looked up at goalkeeper Muslera, and fired into the back of the net. With that, Kaio drew level with Matheus Bidu and Raniele, reaching his third goal of the season — check the updated assist rankings at the end of the article.

In an interview with Rede Globo after the match, the Corinthians winger praised the atmosphere at Estudiantes’ stadium and also mentioned the quality of the opposing team. He also celebrated the team’s efficiency when it got forward in the second half and looked ahead to the second leg, which will take place next Wednesday (16) at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, in Itaquera.

“We knew it was going to be a very difficult game here, with the support of their fans. It was a game where they were going to attack a lot, and we knew how to defend. And the chance we had, we managed to turn it into a goal as well. Now we take the game home, where we have the support of our fans. And we’ll go all out to secure qualification,” he said.

According to Sofascore, a sports statistics app, the 22-year-old posted the following numbers in the match against Estudiantes-ARG: 12/16 accurate passes, one key pass, 28 touches, two fouls won, 14 carries (four progressive), 3/10 ground duels won, and three defensive contributions. He received a 7.1 rating.

Kaio César, it is worth remembering, is on loan at Corinthians from Saudi club Al-Hilal until the end of the season, with a purchase option worth six million euros (just over R$30 million). The 22-year-old arrived at Parque São Jorge in search of more playing time, something he had not been getting with the Saudi side, bringing pace on the flanks — a trait that had been lacking in the Corinthians squad. Developed in Coritiba’s youth academy and standing out with Coxa’s first team, he also played abroad for Vitória de Guimarães (four goals and eight assists in 47 matches) and Al-Hilal (four goals and six assists in 39 appearances).

Overall, he has three goals and two assists in 28 matches (17 as a starter) wearing the Timão shirt, with 11 wins, nine draws, and eight losses — 50%. He was part of the squad that won the Supercopa do Brasil against Flamengo at Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília — a 2-0 victory. In that match, he provided the assist for Yuri Alberto’s second goal. After Fernando Diniz arrived in early April, he established himself as a starter.

With Kaio César available, before hosting Estudiantes-ARG again in midweek, Corinthians are preparing to return to action next Sunday (13) at 5:30 p.m. Brasília time. Alvinegro will visit Flamengo at the Maracanã for the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship. At the moment, Timão sit in 12th place with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws, and 10 losses — with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded.

Corinthians top scorers in 2026:

1) Yuri Alberto – eight goals 2) Gustavo Henrique – six goals3) André Luiz – five goals 4) Breno Bidon – four goals5) Kaio César*, Matheus Bidu, Raniele, and Rodrigo Garro – three goals each 6) Pedro Raul, Zakaria Labyad, Dieguinho, Jesse Lingard, Kayke, and Gabriel Paulista – two goals each7) Fabrizio Angileri, Matheus Pereira, Matheuzinho, Memphis Depay, João Pedro Tchoca, Vitinho, Gui Negão, and André Ramalho – one goal each

Conmebol Libertadores campaign and prize money earned

In the group stage, Alvinegro advanced as leaders of Group E with 11 points — three wins, two draws, and one loss — with eight goals scored and nine conceded. Timão’s group included Platense-ARG, Peñarol-URU, and Santa Fé-COL. In the round of 16, in turn, they eliminated Rosario Central-ARG. In the first match, in Buenos Aires, the game ended goalless. In the return leg at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians won 1-0.

Thanks to their performance in the international competition, Corinthians have already earned R$25.9 million. Of that total, R$16.9 million came from the group-stage campaign, while the rest refers to reaching the quarterfinals. At this point, Timão have four wins, four draws, and one loss in the competition — 10 goals scored and five conceded.

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