Corinthians win on penalties to reclaim sixth Copa Sul-Americana

In partnership with

Central do Timão

·18 October 2025

Corinthians win on penalties to reclaim sixth Copa Sul-Americana

By Daniel Keppler / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the afternoon of this Saturday, the 18th, Corinthians returned to the field for the Women's Copa Libertadores. In a match held at Estadio Florencio Sola, in Banfield, Argentina, the Brabas faced Deportivo Cali from Colombia in the grand final of the competition and, after a goalless draw in regular time, won 5-3, thanks to a penalty that hit the post by Ibargüen.

With this result, the Brabas secured their sixth continental title, becoming the first team in history to win the tournament three consecutive times. In total, the team won the editions of 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025! In addition, the team is guaranteed a spot in the first edition of the FIFA Women's Club World Cup, which will be held between January and February 2026 in England.

OneFootball Videos

Photo: Staff Images Woman/CONMEBOL

Lineups

Coach Lucas Piccinato decided to start the match with Corinthians lined up as Nicole; Thais Ferreira, Erika, and Mariza; Day Rodríguez, Duda Sampaio, Robledo, Vic Albuquerque, and Tamires; Letícia Monteiro and Gabi Zanotti. On the bench, the following were available: Lelê, Kemelli, Letícia Teles, Thais Regina, Andressa Alves, Ivana Fuso, Juliete, Gi Fernandes, Jaqueline, Jhonson, and Ariel Godoi.

On the other side, Deportivo Cali was lined up by coach Jhon Ortiz with Luisa Agudelo; Yessica Bermeo, Stefania Perlaza, Kelly Caicedo, Tati Salazar, Paola Garcia, Yuliana Montoya, Kelly Ibarguen, Michelle Vásquez, Melanin Aponza, and Maria Marquinez.

Refereeing

Conmebol appointed referee Maria Laura Fortunato, assisted by Gisela Trucco and Carla López. The VAR was handled by Salome Di Iorio.

First Half

The game started cautiously, but Cali tried the first attack at six minutes, without success – Mariza showed composure, covering Aponza well and winning a goal kick for Timão. Soon after, Duda Sampaio responded for Corinthians, appearing from behind after a scramble in the box, but her shot was off target.

At 13 minutes, Corinthians had their first big chance. Duda took a free kick into the box, and Érika rose well to head it. Goalkeeper Agudelo, however, made a good save. Corinthians kept pressing, trying to speed up transitions, and at 20 minutes Gabi Zanotti tried to control the ball at the edge of the box in a promising counterattack, but the play broke down before the finish.

Duda Sampaio appeared again at 22 minutes. After a contest by Tamires, the ball fell to the midfielder, who unleashed a rocket and forced Agudelo into a great save, sending it for a corner. Four minutes later, Duda was involved again, stealing the ball in midfield and linking up with Zanotti, who returned it to Robledo. The forward tried to shoot but was blocked by the defense.

Corinthians continued to circle the opponent's area and almost took advantage of a mistake by the rival goalkeeper at 29 minutes: Agudelo dropped a simple ball, and Zanotti nearly got there before the defense cleared the danger. At 36 minutes, another Brabas attack: Duda skillfully beat her marker and entered the box, but was blocked on the cross — the referee also called an attacking foul.

The Colombians attacked again at 37 minutes, when Garcia received a cross and shot first-time, but without power or direction. In response, Corinthians attacked again at 42 minutes, with a play by Vic Albuquerque who found Zanotti in the box, but the number 10, a bit off balance, couldn't finish dangerously.

As the first half approached stoppage time, Cali tried to threaten with a long-range shot by Cobos, well saved by Nicole. Then, at 43 minutes, Corinthians scored the first goal: Duda crossed into the box, Vic battled with the defense, and Érika headed in after another Agudelo mistake. However, minutes later, VAR disallowed the goal for offside by the Corinthians attacker at the start of the play.

In the last play, at 53 minutes, there was still time for Tamires to cross into the box, looking for a teammate, but Agudelo intervened again, keeping it 0-0.

Second Half

Corinthians came back from halftime trying to maintain their attacking rhythm, but found a well-organized Deportivo Cali defense. Just six minutes in, Thaís Ferreira calmly escaped pressure and found Tamires on the left. The fullback tried to find Zanotti in the box, but the defense cleared. On the counter, Nicole was alert to intercept the ball and prevent the Colombian advance.

Two minutes later, Cobos made a good individual play in midfield and shot powerfully, forcing Nicole to make a safe save. Timão responded immediately on the left with Tamires. She broke into the box and tried to cross, but Caicedo — Cali's defensive standout — cleared the danger.

At 11 minutes, Corinthians had their best chance so far. Vic Albuquerque advanced down the right and crossed. The ball fell at the edge of the box to Tamires, who turned and shot with placement, grazing the post. Soon after, coach Lucas Piccinato made the first changes: Jhonson, Juliete, and Jaqueline came on for Letícia Monteiro, Tamires, and Robledo.

The substitutions gave Corinthians' attack a bit more energy. At 14 minutes, Jaqueline crossed tightly and almost surprised Agudelo, who tipped it over for a corner. In the next play, Vic tried another through ball to Jhonson, but Caicedo again won the individual duel.

Cali threatened again at 22 minutes, when Aponza broke away at speed and found herself one-on-one with Nicole, who came off her line and prevented the shot, drawing a foul in the process. After a few minutes of intense battle, without real chances, the Colombians had their best opportunity at 34 minutes, almost scoring directly from a corner.

Under pressure, Corinthians sought to attack but made many passing errors and were stopped by the Colombian defense. Erika tried a long ball to Zanotti, who then looked for Duda, but once again Cali's defense stood firm. Shortly after, at 38 minutes, Juliete crossed and, after a deflection, Jaqueline attempted a volley in the box but missed the ball.

Another Corinthians attack at 41 minutes: Juliete persisted, fighting for the ball and crossing with her left, but Caicedo appeared once again to clear before Ibarguen was fouled, stopping play. In stoppage time, there was still time for Jhonson to try to lead a counterattack, but she was dispossessed. Cobos tried to capitalize, leading a counter, but Mariza covered well and cleared the danger.

At 49 minutes, the referee ended the second half, confirming the 0-0 score and sending the Copa Libertadores title to be decided by penalties.

Penalty Shootout

In the penalty shootout, Corinthians were perfect, scoring all five times, with Gabi Zanotti, Vic Albuquerque, Thais Ferreira, Mariza, and Jhonson. Deportivo Cali scored with Garcia, Aponza, and Perlaza – but Ibargüen hit her penalty against the post, and with that, the Brabas claimed their sixth continental title!

Next Match

With the end of the Copa Libertadores, Corinthians return to Brazil and will play again only on November 1st, when, for the Paulista Championship, they will face Palmeiras. The match will take place at Parque São Jorge, at 11 a.m.

See More: