Matheuzinho rues exit, rates pitch and eyes Corinthians' next run | OneFootball

Corinthians beat Internacional 2-1 on Thursday night (6) at Neo Química Arena, but the result was not enough to secure a place in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals. Having lost the first leg 2-0 at Beira-Rio, Alvinegro were eliminated from the competition on aggregate.

Gustavo Henrique and Pedro Raul scored Corinthians’ goals in the second leg. After the match, right-back Matheuzinho spoke in the mixed zone about the squad’s feelings following the elimination, analyzed the team’s strategy, once again commented on the condition of the Neo Química Arena pitch, and looked ahead to the club’s upcoming fixtures this season.

Photos: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Despite the win in Itaquera, Matheuzinho admitted frustration over the aggregate result of the two matches and acknowledged that Internacional managed to carry out its strategy for the tie.

“Man, it’s a bad feeling, a strange feeling, because like you said, there were two games where we maybe had 80% possession, we were superior to their team, but football is like that. It’s no use having 80% possession and being knocked out. I think the approach Inter came with for this matchup against us, they executed it very well on their side, which was to defend and make the most of the moments they had. So that’s it, there’s a bad feeling, but it’s a learning experience, because next week we already have another competition that is also a knockout, two games, so that’s it.”

Asked whether Corinthians may have shown some anxiety in trying to overturn the advantage built by Internacional in the first match, the full-back disagreed. According to him, the team followed what Fernando Diniz had prepared, especially by looking for crosses against a more compact defense.

“I don’t agree with you. I believe we imposed ourselves in the match, Diniz gave us a way to play and we carried it out the way we were supposed to. Of course we didn’t get every cross right the way we wanted, but that was the approach Diniz gave us, because we knew Inter would sit very deep, so the ball where we could have a certain advantage was the cross. And man, I don’t think there’s any pressure, especially because on Sunday we have a league game, we know how important the league is for us, so first we have to think about Bragantino and only then think about Rosario.”

Elimination as a learning experience

With Corinthians’ Copa do Brasil campaign over, Matheuzinho stressed that the group will need to identify the mistakes made in the tie before starting another knockout matchup. Timão will face Rosario Central in the Libertadores round of 16.

“I believe we’re on the right path, our team is a very good team, one that is able to recognize our mistakes. We know what we did that kept us from qualifying for the next round of the Copa do Brasil, so we’ll definitely stop to analyze it with videos, with the coach, so that we don’t make the same mistakes we made now in this round, so that against Rosario, in the Libertadores, we don’t make those same mistakes. So I think that’s it, it’s a team with a very good mindset, we don’t spend too much time regretting things, tomorrow is already a new day, tomorrow we already have training, we have to keep our heads up. An elimination like this hurts a lot, especially the way it happened, for us to come here, impose our rhythm, win, the fans didn’t deserve this, but football is like that, we paid the price for the first game and now we move on.”

Matheuzinho comments again on the Arena pitch

Another topic addressed in the mixed zone was the condition of the Neo Química Arena pitch. The field had already drawn criticism after the goalless draw with Athletico-PR, when players and members of the coaching staff complained about the surface conditions. Matheuzinho said he notices a significant difference compared to the pitch used previously and revealed that he has even had to change the type of boots he wears in matches.

“No, it’s very different. So much so that in the past this was the only pitch in Brazil where I could play with mixed studs, as we call them. Nowadays I’m playing with rubber studs, I think that became normal because the condition of the pitch is very different. Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do, we have to let the board demand answers from whoever is responsible for the pitch. I hope they can improve this pitch as quickly as possible. It’s an advantage we have, because many teams come here and can’t adapt to the style of play, so we hope this pitch gets into the best possible condition as soon as possible.”

The league and Libertadores become the priorities

With elimination from the Copa do Brasil, Corinthians now have only the Brazilian Championship and the Libertadores left for the rest of the season. Comparing teams’ performances in the national league format with what they show in knockout competitions, Matheuzinho emphasized that each tournament has its own characteristics.

“They’re different competitions. Last year we showed that very clearly, because in the league we didn’t do very well, and in the Copa do Brasil we ended up being champions, so it’s different. I don’t know how their team approaches each competition, but for us here we treat every competition the same, we want to win them all. Unfortunately that’s not possible, so now what we have to do is focus a lot on the league and focus on the Libertadores, which is our main focus, and as I said, not make the same mistakes we made in this round so that we can arrive in the Libertadores as strong as possible.”

The next knockout tie was also discussed by the full-back. Matheuzinho highlighted the differences Corinthians expect to face against Rosario Central, especially because of the Argentine style of football, but guaranteed that the squad’s approach will not be different from the one adopted in the Copa do Brasil.

“I think in the same way we were looking at this stage of the Copa do Brasil, we have to have total respect for the opponent, which is Rosario. We know it’s a completely different competition, it’s another nationality, football there is different, it’s more physical, so we already have to go in prepared more for the physical battle, for hard fouls, for referees who don’t call every foul. So I think the only thing that changes is the style of the competition, but the focus we had for this competition here, which was the Copa do Brasil, where we wanted a second title, will be the same for the Libertadores. So that’s it, I think only the competition format changes, the rest we’ll approach in the same way.”

Full-back avoids speaking about refereeing incident

At the end of the interview, Matheuzinho was also asked about an incident involving the refereeing in the first leg against Internacional. The full-back preferred not to go into the matter.

“Man, I’m not going to say anything, because otherwise, as everyone knows, it ends up coming back on us, so all the best.”

After the elimination, Corinthians turn their attention to the Brazilian Championship. Their next match will be against Red Bull Bragantino, before the team begins its Libertadores round-of-16 tie against Rosario Central.

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