Emily Lima savours first Corinthians final, hails Fiel, eyes Majestoso | OneFootball

Corinthians’ qualification for the final of the Brazilian Women’s Championship led Emily Lima to split her focus between celebrating a landmark moment in her career at the club and preparing for the decision against São Paulo. After the 1-0 win over Bahia last Monday (21) at Neo Química Arena, the coach spoke about the emotion of reaching her first final with the Brabas, the short recovery time, the strength of the Fiel fans, and the challenges of women’s football. The first Majestoso with the title on the line takes place this Saturday (26), at 4:30 p.m., once again at the House of the People.

Corinthians secured their place after winning both semifinal matches against Bahia and closing the tie with a 2-0 aggregate score. Now, Emily will have the opportunity to lead the Brabas in a final for the first time since taking charge of the team.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Agência Corinthians

The coach, who returned to Brazil after six and a half years working abroad, highlighted the personal importance of the moment. Before taking over the black-and-white side, Emily had faced Corinthians during her career in football and had also watched the club’s matches from the stands.

“It’s a privilege for me to be playing in another final in my career, only now from this side. I’ve played a lot against Corinthians, and it’s a privilege to be here today. And many times I was up here watching the matches. Today I mention to them in the team talk how much of a privilege it is to be part of this story. I don’t think it ends here, it’s not just about reaching the final, it’s about having the privilege of becoming champions with Corinthians.”

“We know the size and the history this club has with women’s football, the value the club has always given it, how it has always looked to women’s football. And I believe we can get the best out of each player at this moment. I’m telling my story, but there are many girls who, for the first time, are on this side too. So I think that’s a huge privilege, to be here today,” she added.

Emily mentions Grazi and Iris when talking about the opportunity at Corinthians

When commenting on her arrival at Parque São Jorge, Emily also thanked Grazi and Iris, who were responsible for inviting her to take charge of the Brabas. The coach especially emphasized her long-standing relationship with the former player, with whom she shared the pitch as a teenager.

“I’ve always played against Corinthians, I know what it’s like to play against Corinthians. But today I know that being on this side is much better, much more enjoyable. It’s truly very rewarding. I’m very grateful to Iris and Grazi, who were the people who called me. I played with Grazi when we were 15, 16 years old.”

“Grazi has been a work partner for many years, for more than 30 years. She knows my profile, knows my character, knows the person I am. And I think my gratitude is to the group itself, for what they have been doing, and to Iris and Grazi for giving me this opportunity to be here today,” she added.

Even with the possibility of winning the Brasileirão in her very first final in charge of the team, Emily avoided anticipating what such a title would mean. The coach preferred to focus her analysis on the path built to qualification and on the work done by the players, staff, and employees.

“First, I have to talk about qualifying for the final. That I can talk about. The afterward I’ll talk about afterward. This feeling of a final, I’ll only be able to talk about it by living it. What I can tell you today is that I’m very happy, very pleased with all the work we’ve been doing. It’s rewarding, it’s a pleasure to be able to play in another final after returning from six and a half years outside the country. So what I can tell you is about today. I’m very happy, the coaching staff is very happy, the whole staff is very happy, and the players are too.”

Preparation for São Paulo began in the locker room

The celebration of qualification was brief for Emily. Right after the match against Bahia, the coach revealed she was already thinking about the next opponent. The attempt to immediately begin planning for the Majestoso, however, was interrupted by her assistant, who asked for a few minutes of rest after the tension of the semifinal.

“I went into the locker room, grabbed the tactics board, called Jaque, the assistant, and said: ‘Hey, São Paulo.’ She said: ‘Hey, rest for ten minutes, don’t think about that.’ So I was resting until now, I really didn’t think about anything. Our heads stay buzzing, the body stays tense from the match,” she said.

Corinthians and São Paulo have already faced each other twice this season. The teams earned one win each, both by 2-1 scores: the Brabas came out on top in the Brazilian Championship, while their rival won in the Paulista.

To prepare for the final, Emily said the staff intends to mainly analyze São Paulo’s most recent knockout matches in the national tournament, against Grêmio and Flamengo, in search of possible changes in the team’s behavior.

“We know how strong São Paulo are, their technique, and a very well-defined and very dangerous system. So I think in these two days we’re going to sit down and talk more deeply about São Paulo, especially about the quarterfinals against Grêmio and the semifinal against Flamengo, and better understand whether there was any change in behavior or not,” she analyzed.

The Corinthians staff will also have to deal with a short gap between the semifinal and the final. While São Paulo secured qualification on Saturday, Corinthians only faced Bahia on Monday.

“We’ll have very little time for recovery and training. We’ll have to be very precise so that things work out for us in these two matches,” she said.

The Fiel takes center stage in the coach’s speech

The win over Bahia had 9,755 fans present at Neo Química Arena. In addition to celebrating qualification, Emily highlighted the role of the stands during the match and described the fans as an important element for the team.

“About the fans, I think they really are a crazy bunch. I’ve always watched from up here and you get chills seeing Corinthians’ fans, it’s incredible. I was in London too; I was in my FIFA coach mentoring process and had the privilege of being there, it’s something out of this world. And these girls are used to it and need these fans. So today it was very good to play here. Regardless of the time, I think they came, I don’t know the number, but almost 10,000 people. And I think they are always the 12th player,” she said.

The supporters’ influence became even more evident to the coach after Thaís Regina’s sending-off. Even with one player fewer, Emily stressed that the support continued and helped pass confidence on to the squad.

“And today the fans were fundamental. After Thaís Regina was sent off, they were encouraging and singing the whole time, and the players feel that. It’s really nice to be on this side, because we understand in training sessions and in the locker room how comfortable and confident they feel with these fans. So I think now, on Saturday, it’s up to us to play here again with these fans and try to have a good first match at home,” she declared.

For the final, Emily hopes to see an even bigger scene in the stands at the House of the People.

“I have no doubt that this place will be packed on Saturday. I’ve always watched it full from here. I hope to have the pleasure of coaching this team with this stadium full, and for us to leave here with a good result for the second match,” she said.

Emily calls for greater exposure for women’s football

The coach also used the press conference to address issues that went beyond qualification. The match against Bahia began at 9:30 p.m. on a Monday, a time Emily considered far from ideal for the sport.

In the black-and-white coach’s view, women’s football still needs to expand its exposure and convince different sectors of its potential as a sports product.

“It’s entirely a matter of exposure. All of us who are here today know that it’s not ideal to play at this time. What we still have to do in women’s football is convince people, keep convincing them all the time that this is an interesting product, that this is a good product. The World Cup will show that overwhelmingly, how Brazilians are liking women’s football more and more. Corinthians’ fans have already shown many times how important they understand women’s football to be,” she said.

Emily also reflected on the public exposure of problems faced by the sport. For the coach, certain discussions need to be handled internally to avoid statements harming the players, coaching staff, and directors themselves.

“Talking about the topic is complicated, because if I talk, I think it will only hurt us. If the players talk, it will only hurt us and them. If the director talks, there will only be losses. Do you understand that we have to be smarter than that? So I tell them: talking just to expose things won’t change anything, and we’ll be exposing ourselves all the time. Women’s football no longer has to expose anything. We have to come, work, do our part, and make them understand, in technical meetings, that they need to help us a little bit,” she said.

Finally, the coach argued that the effort to develop the sport should not fall only on the clubs. Emily cited crowd potential and revenue as elements capable of benefiting the institutions themselves.

“So, we’ve been evolving, the clubs have been making a great effort to have women’s football, but everyone also has to make an effort. Because today, if you put 30,000 or 40,000 people here, that’s a positive point for Corinthians. It’s revenue for Corinthians. So if it’s to help, let’s all help, not just one side. So we’ve been insisting a lot on this point, in the sense of being together to do good work, play a good role, project a good image, continue projecting a good image to the fans, and then afterward, on the technical side, let the people up there fight a little more,” she concluded.

Now, the Brabas’ full focus is on the final. Corinthians and São Paulo begin the Women’s Brasileirão final this Saturday (26), at 4:30 p.m., at Neo Química Arena. The second leg takes place on October 3, at the same time, at Morumbis, where the national champion will be crowned.

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