Dorival Júnior hails Fortaleza, calls Corinthians’ season respectable

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Central do Timão

·4 December 2025

Dorival Júnior hails Fortaleza, calls Corinthians’ season respectable

By Daniel Keppler / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the evening of this Wednesday (3), Corinthians faced Fortaleza at Arena Castelão in a match valid for the 37th and penultimate round of the Brazilian Championship, and was defeated by a score of 2 x 1. Midfielder André scored the goal for the Alvinegro in the middle of the second half. The defeat left the team in tenth place with 46 points (12 wins, 10 draws, and 15 losses – 41 goals scored and 46 conceded).

Right after the match, coach Dorival Júnior gave a press conference, where he talked about meeting Fortaleza again, a club he managed at the beginning of his career: “I had the honor of passing through both capital clubs. I am very happy about that. For me, they were significant in my career: Fortaleza, a little bit at the beginning, Ceará, a little further ahead. For me, it was a special moment, these two experiences.”

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Photo: Ciro Hey/Central do Timão

He continued, praising the work done at the team in recent years. “I am very happy to see the recovery that has been happening, the beautiful work done within Fortaleza. It is satisfying, it is pleasurable to see how much the club has grown in general. What I saw back in 2005 is completely different today: a mature, structured club. It's a shame what's been happening this year. I am rooting for everything to be resolved with both clubs here”, he said.

Subsequently, Dorival was asked about what lessons Corinthians' last games in the Brasileirão could leave for the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil, where Timão faces Cruzeiro. He talked about the team's evolution throughout the season: “In terms of production, growth, the Corinthians team has been evolving a lot. Throughout the Brazilian Championship, we have the second-best ball possession in the competition. We only lost to Flamengo. It is one of the teams that exchanges the most passes in the competition.”

He continued talking about the team's growth under his command. “I have noticed, an increasing confidence, defenders playing as full-backs, full-backs playing as midfielders, midfielders playing on the flanks, midfielders playing as forwards. Anyway, we had many difficulties, (such as) the lack of many players throughout the competition, the improvisation of many players in other roles and a very positive return”, he argued.

The Corinthians coach concluded by stating that the Brasileirão played by the team was “worthy”, projecting the team's future: “To believe that we are on the right path and that we will need something more so that, at the right moment, this differential will be a favorable result and give us the possibility to complete everything that has been happening. To play with possession, create opportunities, and seek finishes. I think that is what completes a team so that it qualifies in any type of competition.”

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