Hugo Souza: Solid display, praises Corinthians’ mental strength

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Central do Timão

·11 December 2025

Hugo Souza: Solid display, praises Corinthians’ mental strength

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Goalkeeper Hugo Souza celebrated the advantage Corinthians gained in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil semifinal after the 1-0 victory over Cruzeiro at Mineirão. In a match marked by balance and few clear chances, the player highlighted that the defensive plan worked as expected and that was essential for the result.

“Man, we know these are games decided by details. We have a game plan to follow. We know how important it is in the Cup not to concede goals and we have been very committed to that. We were successful once again and didn’t concede, we’ll try to keep it that way, because we know that this way we’re much closer to what we want, which is to win the game, especially since with the quality we have up front, I think at some point we’ll manage to score.”, the goalkeeper began in the mixed zone.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“We need to be alert to every detail of the defensive part and I think it’s not just me, it’s not just the defenders and full-backs. I think it’s a collective effort, if everyone doesn’t defend, we can’t do it. So congratulations to everyone for their commitment. Today, after a save I made that Bidu ended up deflecting, it was Yuri who cleared the ball in the second moment. So that shows the team’s commitment on the field today.”, he continued.

Hugo also praised the experienced attitude of the squad, noting that Corinthians has players used to decisive matches and who know how to handle the pressure of these moments. The goalkeeper emphasized the emotional weight of the semifinal and made a point of valuing the support of the Corinthians fans present in Belo Horizonte, even though they were outnumbered. According to him, the maturity of the group was essential to manage the match.

“It’s a game of details, I think we have an experienced team, a mature team with great players and we know how to put that into practice in these games, we know how big these games are and I think we have players who like to play this kind of match.”, said the goalkeeper.

“Now we go with a lot of humility, with a very important result back to our home. Congratulations to our fans, who put on an incredible show, even in the minority we could hear our fans from the field and now we go home, they will sing a lot, with their help we will strive to make sure it’s no different so that we can seal our qualification.”, he added.

Hugo also commented on the team’s change in mentality after the end of the Brazilian Championship. The goalkeeper believes that turning the page was fundamental for the squad to fully focus on the Copa do Brasil, treating the semifinal as an opportunity to end the year victoriously. He emphasized that the group left behind the season’s difficulties and is focused exclusively on the goal of qualifying.

“As I said, these are games of details, right? The Brazilian Championship is over, it’s gone, it’s past. I think this change of mindset was very important, we let go of everything that was left behind, because we have the opportunity to make this year end in a very glorious way for the club, for us, for everything that happened during this year and that’s what we’re going to fight for until the end.”, said the number 1.

Finally, the goalkeeper detailed a moment in which he made a crucial intervention against the Cruzeiro striker, still in the first half, preventing the score from being opened. Hugo Souza explained that the play was quick and stated that he is always ready to step up when needed.

“Ah, it was a quick play, luckily the ball fell to Matheuzinho. I’ve always said this, I’m here to help the team, to do my part and, well, I only want to stand out when I have to and today I’m happy to have helped the team. It was a face-to-face play, quick, I had to use my leg there to make the save, but as I said, I’m ready to help and I hope we can keep this focus, this high level, because by not conceding goals we get much closer to achieving our objective.”, concluded the goalkeeper.

The second leg between the clubs takes place next Sunday (14), at 6pm (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena. Corinthians will play in front of the Fiel with the advantage of a draw to advance to the grand final.

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