Emily Lima on Corinthians loss, Cruzeiro clash and Neo Química plea | OneFootball

Corinthians finished the first stage of the 2026 Brazilian Women’s Championship with a defeat. On the afternoon of last Saturday (22), the Brabas hosted Internacional at Estádio Alfredo Schürig, Fazendinha, for the 17th round and were beaten 3-1. After the match, head coach Emily Lima analyzed the team’s performance and looked ahead to the quarterfinal clash against Cruzeiro.

Despite the negative result, the coach disagreed with the assessment that Corinthians performed below expectations. Emily highlighted the team’s possession and number of shots, but acknowledged that they lacked efficiency in turning the chances they created into goals. She also commented on the criticism coming from the stands.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

“I think what was missing was goals; I don’t think we were below par. If you look at the game’s numbers, we had most of the possession. They executed their offensive transitions well and were effective, credit to them, because of their game plan. I don’t have the exact numbers right now, but we had a lot of shots on goal and the ball just didn’t go in. We need to be more precise and put it in the net; in football, you have to put the little round ball in there, otherwise you end up suffering. As for the fans, I think I have to answer to the club, to Corinthians, to my director, to my president. The fans have every right to demand more, and we, as people who are open to that, will be willing to hear anything. But I’m not worried, I’ve never been worried about that. I know what I do during the week, what our group does during the week in terms of work. Football often brings this kind of thing, so there’s not much to say about it. We have to keep working and now face Cruzeiro in the quarterfinals and work so that we can get through them.”

Emily assesses the goals conceded against Internacional

Asked about the three goals conceded at Fazendinha, Emily avoided singling out individual mistakes. The coach felt Corinthians had collective issues, especially in defensive transition and in cover when the team was attacking.

“I think it was collective; we can’t point fingers at anyone over the goals. They came with a very clear game plan, we already knew what we were going to face today, and we just weren’t effective in our defensive transition. So our attacking cover wasn’t the best, and they managed to connect those transition balls to Valeria and Solis. And things ended up happening. The set piece is unfortunate for the group. We can’t concede a goal like that from a set piece, with nobody touching it and the ball going into our net. But I think that collectively, including all of us on the coaching staff, we have to reflect on everything that happened, on what we can do to improve and put the ball in the net.”

Corinthians will meet Cruzeiro again in the quarterfinals

With the first stage now over, Corinthians are turning their focus to the knockout stage of the Brazilian Women’s Championship. Their opponent will be Cruzeiro, a team that has already beaten the Brabas in this edition of the competition.

Emily recalled that previous meeting and stressed that the context will be different in the quarterfinals. For the coach, avoiding the mistakes made in that match will be crucial, especially in a knockout tie.

“I think it was a very specific defeat. The teams that come to play against Corinthians are very reactive. And we tried to improve, and I believe we did improve our transition. But now it’s a knockout game. So we can’t make the same mistakes we made there. It was very similar to today. We started that game very well and then, because of a misplaced pass to our goalkeeper, we ended up conceding and everything changed. We were away from home there and things happened in an unexpected way. And we try to react during the game. Now, talking about knockout football, it’s a different game, a different reality. The good thing is that we’ll decide it at home. We play one game there and decide it at home. That’s a positive point. And we need to prepare well for this first match. The first knockout game is always very important. And we’re going to do everything to play the game of our lives in this first knockout match against Cruzeiro.”

The fact that Corinthians will decide the tie at home also led Emily to comment on the possibility of the team using Neo Química Arena. According to the coach, the staff has already asked the club for the second leg to be held at the stadium.

“I think that’s part of the board’s job. We’ve already made the request for this second-leg match, starting from the second stage, to be at Neo Química. And now the club, the board, and the president have to see how much importance they give to women’s football. So I really believe we have to do our part, which is to make the request and accept whatever decision they make. Regardless of anything, whether we play there or not, we have to do our part and put in a good first game away and a good second game at home.”

Coach points out the adjustments needed for the knockout stage

When addressing what needs to change for the quarterfinals, Emily again stressed the lack of efficiency in front of goal. She also drew attention to the team’s positioning when they lose possession in the attacking half and to the need to improve their cover.

“Today’s mistakes were our failures to score. We gave the opponent the chance to believe they could beat Corinthians. And they were effective in their offensive transition. That was very clear. In the first 10 minutes, we had three chances that we can’t afford to miss. Then the other team starts gaining confidence and expectation. They connect a transition ball, a long ball. Sometimes it’s not even a directed pass, it’s just a transition ball. We’re in a high block. Sometimes we don’t read a long ball well. The ball is uncovered and we have to run back a little more. Anyway, there are countless factors within one action, and that ended up hurting us a lot. And now it’s what you said.

What we need to do heading into this knockout stage is really turn the page. Take everything that was good from the first half of the season. Make the corrections, especially in our transition and in our attacking cover, which is when we have the ball and then lose it. We end up overcommitting past the ball a lot and suffering because of that. Try to adjust those points and go after Cruzeiro. Corinthians is Corinthians, and women’s football has been changing. Things have been happening in ways that I think football has to evolve. And we have to show Corinthians’ strength out there. By putting the ball in the net and delivering a good performance, good work.”

Emily comments on inconsistency after the World Cup

The coach was also asked about Corinthians’ performances since the schedule resumed after the World Cup. Emily acknowledged some inconsistency and said the elimination against Ferroviária in the Copa do Brasil had an impact on the team.

On the other hand, she said she does not see major tactical problems and once again pointed to efficiency in the final third as one of the main areas that need improvement.

“There has been inconsistency, and that defeat in the Copa do Brasil made the team fluctuate even more. And speaking tactically about the team, I believe that... If you analyze it well, I think you are reporters and not fans. If you make an analysis, I think that tactically the team... I don’t see that much of a problem, but rather in finishing, in the final third. We still have a lot of difficulty with the ball in the final third. In switching the ball from one side to the other, from one channel to the other. Whenever we move the ball out of the recovery zone, or when we’re circulating possession, the opposing team shifts from one side to the other. And when we switch to the opposite side, we always manage to get something very positive and very good.

That’s an adjustment we’re going to need to make. That was also discussed with the players this week. And I think we have to keep insisting on what we need, which is to have the technical quality on the ball that we know we have. And in finishing, we have to be ruthless at this stage. If we keep making mistakes, if we keep wasting chances, we may end up suffering and even being eliminated, because we need to score goals, we need goals. And if that doesn’t happen, things get very complicated.”

Alternative formation remains an option

Lastly, Emily explained a change used during the match. The coach revealed that Corinthians worked with a 3-3-4 structure to increase their presence on Internacional’s last line, using Belén Aquino and Gisela Robledo out wide. According to her, this alternative has been worked on in training and could be used again during the knockout ties.

“I think we have to work on situations in training so that, at the right moment, we can use them. Maybe we can use it in the knockout stage, I don’t know. So the game situation was one where we wanted to pack their last line more with four players. We played a 3-3-4 with a midfield trio, one holding midfielder and two attacking midfielders. And we tried to win the wide areas with Aquino and Robledo. And we need to have 1-v-1 situations on the last line. If we don’t break their line in a 1-v-1 with them, it gets difficult. And we managed that with Jaquinha, when she drifted wide. But the finish just didn’t come. Still, it’s a system we’ve been working on so that, if necessary, we can use it.”

With the first stage concluded, Corinthians now turn their attention to the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Women’s Championship. The Brabas will face Cruzeiro and will decide qualification at home.

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