Malafaia hails Corinthians' progress after beating Magnus in LNF | OneFootball

Corinthians defeated Magnus 2-0 on the night of last Friday (03), at Ginásio Wlamir Marques, in the second round of the 2026 National Futsal League (LNF). After the match, coach Fernando Malafaia analyzed the team’s performance and highlighted the rebuilding process the black-and-white squad is going through at the start of the season.

In an interview in the mixed zone, the coach stressed that the group is still taking shape, with many young players, and emphasized the importance of maturing throughout the games.

Photo: Beto Miller / Corinthians

“Well, first of all, thanks for the question. Look, man, we’re here at Corinthians now building something new, right? Because of the demands that exist within the club. And if that demand is to make Corinthians be where it ought to be, as one of the two biggest clubs in Brazil and among the top five in the world, well, great, we’ll buy into that and we’ll work,” the coach began.

“That’s what we’ve been doing. We’re not complaining, we’re working with kids who are literally making their debut in the National League. Kids developed at home. And, man, all it takes is patience, because games of this nature require a lot of maturity. And maturity only comes with games. Then you can make mistakes and the opponent ends up taking advantage of them. But today the boys did well, and the more experienced players also did well. But the first thing you mentioned, embodying it, that’s our obligation. To embody what it means to play for Corinthians. That’s our obligation. We can lose, but we can’t be outcompeted by anyone. We have to give our soul in this kind of game and in any kind of game.”

Malafaia also commented on the team’s different approach compared to its debut in the competition and explained the points worked on throughout the week to correct mistakes.

“Well, I’m going to disagree with 50% of what you said. The opponent we lost to in the first round is an opponent that plays. The rule allows it, but I personally have my opinion. I think it harms the development of the sport. They play 5-on-4 all the time. We prepared for the 5-on-4. We made mistakes in tactical discipline. Those two tactical-discipline mistakes gave the opponent two goals. It has an impact to play in an arena like that, with that size, that number of fans, and with a very aggressive game and 5-on-4. You have to keep a calm head, you have to be aware, you have to be mature for that. And we made mistakes. But if you zoom in and look at what happened in the second half, we controlled the second half.”

“Why? Because they reduced the amount of 5-on-4 and then they looked lost. And then they only balanced the game when it was 5-on-4. And we were more mature, more aware. And the game was 3-1, not 4-1. The fourth goal came right at the death. So, as a professional, I focus on the things we did wrong. But I also focus on the things that were positive. Because we have to bring out the best in these kids in such a way that we show the mistake, while not dwelling on the mistake. We have to build them up through their successes. And the success was in the second half. The success was in the second half with two under-20 players on the court the whole time. That’s important for all of us who are Corinthians supporters.”

Lastly, the coach spoke about Corinthians’ goals in the competition and made it clear that, even in the face of difficulties, the objective remains ambitious.

“Well, to finish the answer, I want to say that the week was about building on what we did well. And some things, due to a lack of tactical discipline that the player commits, led us to address them by showing video and fixing them here internally. Man, I’m at Corinthians. I need to have my mind set on finishing among the top four. I can’t sell you the idea that we’ll finish among the top eight or top five. I can’t. I have to tell you that, because that’s what I tell them. Man, there are a lot of good teams. Today we have financial resources for signings that are not among the top eight teams. But that doesn’t matter to me. If it means moving the club forward, we’ll be here working.”

“And I’ll keep saying to you and to anyone that our goal is to finish among the top four. Because what kind of professional would I be if I kept complaining and saying that we can’t finish among the top eight? No. My life has always been about challenges. And now won’t be the time for me to sit around crying about something that may have happened. We’re going to fight. The task is tough. But the mindset will always be to be there among the top four,” he concluded.

Now, Timão turns its attention to the rest of the season. The team returns to the court next Wednesday (08), at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), when it faces Praia Grande at Ginásio Wlamir Marques in the Paulista Futsal Championship.

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