Emily Lima on refs in Corinthians defeat, urges calm from Brabas | OneFootball

Refereeing and the players’ emotional behavior were among the topics addressed by Emily Lima after Corinthians’ 2-1 loss to São Paulo last Saturday (26) at Neo Química Arena. After the first leg of the Brazilian Women’s Championship final, the coach commented on decisions made during the Majestoso and highlighted the need for the Brabas to control their reactions on the field to avoid harming the team.

Corinthians opened the scoring through Gabi Zanotti, but they were turned around and left Neo Química Arena trailing in the title decider. During the match, some incidents sparked complaints from the black-and-white side, especially over possible fouls inside São Paulo’s penalty area.

Photo: ©Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

One of those situations came in the 15th minute of the second half, when the match was still level. Jaqueline challenged Giovanna Crivelari for the ball, went down in the box, and appealed for a penalty. The refereeing team waited for the VAR review, but the referee was not called to the monitor to review the play.

In the post-match press conference, Emily revealed that she had looked for the footage before speaking to reporters. The coach said her main discomfort lies in the difference in procedures adopted by VAR in situations she considers similar.

“Before coming to the press conference, I always try to quickly get informed about everything from the match, and I went to look at the incidents. The person on VAR today (Elizabete Esmeralda Cordeiro dos Santos Gomes) is a great friend of ours; we have many friends who are referees. Not being called over is what bothers us, because the one making the decision is the person on VAR. I think the incident here, against Bahia, was very similar to what happened there with Thaís Ferreira. Here they called it, there they didn’t. I don’t like talking about refereeing; I think we have to do our job on the field, but if we’re going to point out what happened with the refereeing in key moments for us…” Emily said.

Corinthians had already sent material about refereeing

The comparison made by the coach refers to the second leg of the Brasileirão Feminino semifinal against Bahia. On that occasion, Thaís Regina was shown a red card after a challenge and was suspended for the first match of the final against São Paulo.

Emily revealed that Corinthians had even sent material related to the refereeing. Even so, the coach argued that the team should focus its energy on its own performance and try not to let outside decisions affect the players’ behavior.

“We already sent material. I don’t know whether that’s good or not; it seems like sending these things makes it worse, but we sent it. They come back more reactive. So we have to be at the mercy of this situation. Because she tries to control the match in the best way possible, but I think we have to get through this, think about ensuring our work on the field, and forget a little about the refereeing, because they test our patience,” said the Brabas’ coach.

Another moment that prompted complaints came late in the first half. In the 43rd minute, Karla Alves took a quick free kick to Gi Fernandes, but the referee ordered the kick to be retaken. On the bench, Andressa Alves protested the decision and was shown a yellow card.

Andressa Alves’ card influenced Emily’s decision

The booking she received while still on the bench also interfered with the coaching staff’s plans for the rest of the final. Andressa only came on in the 42nd minute of the second half, and Emily explained that the yellow card was taken into account before sending the forward onto the field.

For the coach, the players’ competitiveness needs to be matched with emotional control, especially in decisive matches. Emily used the cases of Andressa and Thaís Regina to illustrate situations in which a reaction can affect not only one player, but the team’s entire plan.

“We have to have that desire, but not go too far. Andressa gets a yellow card on the bench and then our minds start racing. ‘Do we put her in or not, because the game is heated, and if she needs to commit a foul, she’s going to have to do it.’ We have to think about the bigger picture, and that can’t get in the way. She has to come on to motivate and always be fired up in the game, yes, but there’s a limit, because otherwise it ends up hurting the whole team. In Thaís Regina’s case in the match, she’s fired up and ends up going a little too far. So I think it’s much more about having that emotional control. As much as we know them and they want it all the time, it’s a natural reflection in training, it happens, but it needs that control so we don’t lose anyone in a difficult moment, which is what happened. So we think about it and hope nothing happens, with her already going into the game on a yellow,” Emily Lima concluded.

Corinthians need to overturn the deficit at MorumBIS

After the result at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians will have to mount a comeback away from home to win another Brazilian title. The second leg will take place next Saturday (3) at 4:30 p.m. Brasília time at MorumBIS.

After the 2-1 defeat in the first leg, the Brabas need to win by two or more goals to lift the trophy in regular time. A Corinthians win by one goal would send the decision to penalties. In the event of a draw or another loss, the title goes to São Paulo.

Besides the need to overturn the scoreline, the match will mark an unprecedented situation in the black-and-white club’s history in the competition: for the first time, Corinthians will play the decisive match of a Brazilian Women’s Championship final away from home.

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