Lifeless Corinthians outplayed by Cruzeiro, must learn before semi-final | OneFootball

By Thais Bueno

In the preview of the Brazilian Cup semifinal clash, Corinthians showed total apathy and was completely dominated by Cruzeiro, who won 3-0 with extreme ease, in the 35th round of the Brazilian Championship. Timão can take the defeat in two ways: let it affect them or learn from the mistakes to avoid repeating them in the knockout stage, scheduled for three weeks from now.

Coach Dorival Júnior opted to keep Angileri as the third defender and placed Hugo on the left wing, as Matheus Bidu was absent due to right knee pain. In the midfield, the coach bet on the return of two important players: Rodrigo Garro, back after suspension, and Raniele, recovered from injury. Without Memphis, Gui Negão retained his spot in the starting 11.

As expected, Cruzeiro started the match with ball possession and took control of the game. Corinthians' midfield and defense left spaces for the more creative players of Raposa, especially on the right side – in the first minutes of the game, Arroyo was frequently targeted in the defensive sector under Matheuzinho's responsibility.

From the 15th minute, Corinthians managed to reduce Cruzeiro's momentum with a more physical game, with fouls called on both sides. However, Timão was very slow and couldn't activate Garro, their main creative midfielder, producing very little in attack. The most dangerous attempt was at the 21st minute when Hugo headed wide, and subsequently, an offside was called. The team couldn't even exchange many passes.

It was at the 25th minute that Corinthians conceded the first goal at Mineirão. Matheus Pereira, with plenty of space to play, found a beautiful pass to Christian, who crossed. Arroyo completed, and Felipe Longo saved initially, but the Corinthians defense merely watched as Kaio Jorge picked up the rebound and hit the net. The fact is that the São Paulo team played poorly and deserved to be losing in the first half.

The impression left by the first half is that the teams entered the field in two completely different tunes. Cruzeiro seemed to make little effort to play and create opportunities, constantly generating play. Meanwhile, Corinthians entered completely disconnected and had very little game volume. The Corinthians team did not have a single shot on target. Another attitude was expected after the victory in the Majestic, but the team was apathetic.

Second half

At halftime, Dorival noticed Corinthians' difficulties and made three changes at once. Carrillo, André, and Vitinho came in. With that, Timão returned to a back four, with Hugo and Matheuzinho as full-backs and a midfield formed by André, Carrillo, Breno Bidon, and Rodrigo Garro.

The changes, however, had no effect, as the team conceded the second goal three minutes into the second half. Matheuzinho, now as a full-back, again struggled with Arroyo, who appeared freely on the right side and crossed low. Tchoca couldn't clear well, and the deflection sent the ball to Kaio Jorge's feet, who only had to finish into the goal.

After the 2-0, Corinthians was defeated on the field. The team had a bit more possession but seemed not to know what to do with the ball. Additionally, the team completely lost the physical and tactical battle in the midfield. And if Timão still dreamed of attempting a comeback with a play by Yuri Alberto, that goal was dashed with Cruzeiro's third goal. The São Paulo team offered many spaces on the counter-attack, and Arroyo extended the lead.

After the third goal, Dorival made two more changes. Dieguinho replaced Garro, while Martínez came in for Breno Bidon. However, the coach took too long to reinforce the midfield to contain Cruzeiro's main playmakers. By this point, Corinthians was already completely dominated. The apathy shown in the first half continued in the second.

Now, it remains to be seen how Corinthians will handle this defeat and if they will know how to use it to correct mistakes before the Brazilian Cup clash. The setback can indicate paths and decisions not to be repeated by Dorival, but it certainly won't be easy to digest. The result, combined with the apathetic attitude, set off alarms among the fans – and should also alert the squad, technical staff, and management.

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