Dorival: Corinthians below par but fight and Hugo were crucial | OneFootball

Coach Dorival Júnior admitted that Corinthians did not play a great match this Sunday against Portuguesa at Canindé, but he highlighted the team's effort to fight for the draw and secure qualification to the semifinals of the Campeonato Paulista on penalties.

One of the points raised by Dorival was the physical aspect. He emphasized that Lusa did not play during the week, while Timão faced Athletico-PR on the synthetic pitch at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba.

“Knowing how to suffer is relative. Nobody wants to suffer. It happened because of the fatigue we had during the week. Portuguesa rested, played a brilliant first half, and made things difficult for us. We have to acknowledge that. At the same time, our team was brave, didn’t give up. We deserved it,” the coach said in a press conference.

“I recognize that it wasn’t technically brilliant, but what matters is that, in a tough week, playing with the physical and emotional exhaustion we had, few teams can do what we did and achieve this kind of result,” he added.

Dorival pointed out that the team is not in the best physical condition. Left-back Matheus Bidu, for example, played his seventh consecutive match as a starter. According to the coach, striker Memphis Depay is also not at his physical peak.

“Bidu is going into his seventh match. Memphis, without having had a pre-season, also hasn’t reached his peak. The challenges will be even greater. We haven’t had an open week. At every moment, thank God, we have the chance to play a decisive match. We’re doing everything within our reach,” he commented.

“Cruzeiro played yesterday, we played today. We’ll face them on Wednesday, with them having a day and a half more to recover than us. That makes a huge difference, but we are obliged to go there and give our best. If we hadn’t scored the equalizer, people would say we’re making excuses. I’m already anticipating this situation,” he concluded.

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Praise for Hugo Souza

Goalkeeper Hugo Souza, Corinthians’ hero in the penalty shootout, received praise from Dorival Júnior. The keeper saved one penalty in regular time and two during the shootout, reaching 14 saves in the black-and-white jersey.

“He was fundamental. He’s a player of national team level. He’s had a very important comeback in his career, and I’m happy with this growth. He’s essential for the team, has made a difference in decisive matches. He’s changed many of our results. We have to recognize and thank Hugo. May he keep working so this evolution becomes even greater,” he concluded.

On to the semis

Having qualified for the semifinals, Corinthians will face Novorizontino in the next stage of the Paulistão. The match, scheduled for next weekend, will be a single-leg tie, with the team from the interior of São Paulo as the home side. The detailed schedule, with dates, times, and venues, will be released by the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) this Monday.

Corinthians’ next match

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