Pedro Raul: Corinthians on top, rues draw, praises team effort

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Central do Timão

·19 January 2026

Pedro Raul: Corinthians on top, rues draw, praises team effort

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the afternoon of this Sunday (18), Corinthians hosted São Paulo at the Neo Química Arena, in a match valid for the third round of the first phase of the 2026 Campeonato Paulista, and ended up drawing 1-1. The goal for Alvinegro was scored by midfielder Breno Bidon, in stoppage time of the second half, after an assist from striker Pedro Raul. The result left Alvinegro in seventh place with four points – only the top eight advance to the knockout stage.

The center forward even gave an interview to the press in the mixed zone and talked about the assist to midfielder Breno Bidon in stoppage time of the second half, highlighting the team's strength in aerial plays in recent months: “The ball bounced there, it fell to me. I was going to turn and shoot, I saw Breno running by, I was lucky to find him, and he was even luckier to score the goal. And that's it, we have to alternate balls over the top and on the ground, we have offensive power, we've scored a lot of goals from aerial balls, especially last year. So it's another strength the group gains and I'm very happy to have helped”, he began.

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Next, the center forward commented on the team's performance in the Majestoso and also mentioned a statement from goalkeeper Hugo Souza in the Neo Química Arena locker room right after the final whistle. The player also recalled the negative result from last Thursday (15), away against Red Bull Bragantino, describing that night as 'terrible'.

“I think it was even something that Neca (Hugo Souza) said in there. If we play like this, it's very hard for anyone to beat us. We had a terrible night on Thursday, nothing worked out. And today we came in to win a derby, but we know how important it is to win a derby at home. We have a tough run ahead. We wanted to win, of course, but we managed a draw. I think this point will help us down the line. And that's it. I think if we keep this aggressive attitude, wanting to get results, we have everything to achieve,” he continued.

Later, he was asked about his chemistry with Corinthians' fullbacks, Matheuzinho and Matheus Bidu, regarding set pieces and crosses. Pedro Raul talked about the adjustments they make with each other right after training: “I talk to them (Matheuzinho and Matheus Bidu), about how I want the ball, how I think they're going to cross. I was just a bit short of reaching Matheuzinho's cross. He's been doing everything excellently, so I think it's going to be a good partnership. And we also practice a lot, after training I ask them to stay and keep crossing balls, so we can get those crosses down and it works for our role,” he added.

Finally, he spoke again about the team's resilience in chasing the result even when behind, valuing the Corinthians squad's effort throughout the 90 minutes: “We didn't want (to win), but it happened, it's a derby. São Paulo had one chance, they scored. And we chased the result at every moment. As I said, with five more minutes I think we would have turned the game around. But we have to value the group's effort, the desire to win, to turn the result around, that's the main thing. And as I emphasized again what I said in there, that's how we're going to get more points,” he concluded.

Pedro Raul's assist to Breno Bidon was his first goal involvement for Corinthians in over a year. His last had been on January 15, 2025. On that day, Alvinegro beat RB Bragantino at Nabi Abi Chedid, 2-1, coming from behind, in the opening match of last year's Paulistão. On that occasion, in the second half, Pedro Raul received a cross from midfielder Ryan and headed it into the net.

Early in 2025, Pedro Raul was loaned to Ceará, where he scored 17 goals and provided two assists in 45 matches. He was signed by Corinthians from Toluca, Mexico, for five million dollars (R$ 25 million), at the end of January 2024.

In his first season for Alvinegro, he didn't have many opportunities under Mano Menezes (played one game – the coach was fired soon after), Antônio Oliveira, and Ramón Díaz. In 2026, he has already played three matches – two coming off the bench in the final minutes and one starting as a starter, against RB Bragantino last midweek.

For Corinthians, he has scored four goals and provided three assists in 42 matches (15 as a starter). The center forward was part of the squad that led the historic comeback in the 2024 Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Pré-Libertadores and a spot in the 2025 Copa do Brasil). Last year, he started the season with Alvinegro, played six games, and during the Paulistão group stage went to Ceará.

Alvinegro now returns to the pitch next Thursday (22), also for the 2026 Campeonato Paulista. At 7:30 pm (Brasília time), Corinthians visit Santos at Vila Belmiro, for the fourth round of the state championship's first phase.

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