Lelê on fatigue after Seleção and Corinthians: "Worth the sacrifice"

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Central do Timão

·5 December 2025

Lelê on fatigue after Seleção and Corinthians: "Worth the sacrifice"

By Vinícios Cotrim | Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians came from behind to defeat São Paulo at the Neo Química Arena, securing another final in the Women's Paulista Championship. Goalkeeper Lelê started for the Brazilian National Team and began the match for the Brabas within a two-day period, leading to physical strain on the player.

“It was quite hectic. To be honest, I'm really tired. At the end, I was already feeling cramps because we just arrived yesterday from the National Team and today we're already playing, but we were aware of this schedule. The most important thing was that we had time to arrive and help Corinthians, so it was a worthwhile sacrifice, it was good,” said the goalkeeper in the mixed zone.

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Photo: TV Central do Timão

Corinthians had six players called up, five Brazilians and one Venezuelan, who played last Tuesday (3). This affected the team's dynamics for the derby, but Timão had a below-par performance in the first half, managing to stabilize only in the final stage.

“The issue was much more about our attitude in the first half, right? We made a lot of technical errors, we missed passes, we made poor choices, and we were a bit sluggish in the first half there, we understood this in the locker room and the substitutions were crucial for us to come back more offensively, because we needed to turn the score around, the result would lead to penalties and we, at home, wanted to win,” explained Lelê.

Now, the Brabas will face Palmeiras in two matches in the state final – deciding the second game at home due to having a better campaign. The dates and times will still be defined by the Paulista Football Federation (FPF). It is a rematch of last year's final, which ended with a Palmeiras victory.

“I think we have two days, basically, to prepare for this game. Of course, the point is to play the first 90 (minutes) well, so we can come home and take advantage of that too. Now, we're thinking, firstly, to rest and the rest we leave for Piccinato to think a little and when we return, he will bring a game plan for us and surely we will prepare in the best possible way. Especially because it's a derby, right? There's the revenge and all, but being a derby in the final, two great teams, I think it will be a fun final to play,” concluded Lelê.

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