Goal v Cruzeiro sees defender boost Corinthians tally since arrival | OneFootball

Throughout the night last Sunday (16), at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians faced Cruzeiro in a match valid for the 23rd round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship and were beaten 2-1. The negative result caused the Corinthians side to drop from seventh to ninth place with 32 points in the national competition — eight wins, eight draws, and seven losses — with 25 goals scored and 22 conceded.

The scorer of Timão’s goal in the match was center-back Gustavo Henrique, in the 13th minute of the second half, further increasing his goal contributions for the club from Parque São Jorge. Of the 12 goals he has scored for the club since his arrival, 11 ended up being decisive — they opened the scoring, leveled the match, or restored the team’s lead on the scoreboard.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

His first goal for Corinthians came on February 22, 2024, when Alvinegro beat Cianorte 3-0 away from home in the early rounds of that year’s Copa do Brasil. On that occasion, he assisted forward Wesley, a product of Corinthians’ youth academy and currently at Cruzeiro, to open the scoring. In the 2026 season, he is enjoying the best spell of his career, having found the net on six occasions and provided two assists. He is among the four highest-scoring defenders for the club in the 21st century.

According to Sofascore, the sports statistics app, the center-back, who played the full 90 minutes, posted the following numbers in the match: 11 defensive contributions, two interceptions, seven clearances, two ball recoveries, 2/3 ground duels won, 3/3 aerial duels won, 76 touches, and 25 carries. His rating in the app was 7.8.

Signed in 2024 after spells in European football with Fenerbahçe (Turkey) and Real Valladolid (Spain), as well as playing for Santos and Flamengo in Brazil, Gustavo Henrique quickly became one of Timão’s key references and leaders in the squad. In total, he has 12 goals and four assists in 112 matches (108 as a starter) wearing the Timão shirt.

He was part of the team’s historic surge in the 2024 Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores preliminary rounds — seventh place with 56 points), and was also a starter in the title-winning campaigns in the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively.

Now, with Gustavo Henrique as one of Alvinegro’s main pillars in recent years, Corinthians turn their attention to the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores round of 16. That is because next Thursday (20), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, Timão will face Rosario Central-ARG, also at Neo Química Arena. If there is another draw, the team advancing to the quarterfinals will be decided by a penalty shootout.

Center-back Gustavo Henrique’s goal contributions for Corinthians:

1) Cianorte 0 x 3 Corinthians – Copa do Brasil 2024 – assist for Wesley to score the first goal

2) Juventude 2 x 1 Corinthians – Copa do Brasil 2024 – scored Timão’s goal in the match

3) Corinthians 3 x 1 Vasco da Gama – Brasileirão 2024 – scored Timão’s first goal

4) Corinthians 2 x 0 Barcelona-EQU – Libertadores 2025 – assist for Carrillo to score the second goal

5) Palmeiras 0 x 2 Corinthians – Copa do Brasil 2025 – scored Timão’s second goal

6) Vasco da Gama 2 x 3 Corinthians – Brasileirão 2025 – scored Timão’s third goal, extending the lead

7) Corinthians 2 x 0 Grêmio – Brasileirão 2025 – scored Timão’s first goal

8) Corinthians 2 x 2 Botafogo – Brasileirão 2025 – scored Timão’s second goal; leveled the match

9) Corinthians 3 x 0 Ponte Preta – Paulista 2026 – scored Timão’s first goal

10) Flamengo 0 x 2 Corinthians – Supercopa 2026 – assist for Gabriel Paulista to open the scoring

11) Corinthians 2 x 0 Santa Fé – Libertadores 2026 – assist for Raniele to score Timão’s first goal and scored Alvinegro’s second goal

12) Corinthians 2 x 0 Penãrol – Libertadores 2026 – scored Timão’s first goal

13) Independiente Santa Fé 1 x 1 Corinthians – Libertadores 2026 – scored the goal that leveled the match

14) Corinthians 2 x 1 Internacional – Copa do Corinthians 2026 – scored the goal that opened the scoring for Timão

15) Corinthians 1 x 2 Cruzeiro – Brasileirão 2026 – scored Timão’s equalizer

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