Pedro Raul hails confidence after scoring again for Corinthians | OneFootball

Corinthians secured an important away win on Sunday night (9). At Estádio Cícero de Souza Marques, Timão beat Red Bull Bragantino 2-0 in the 22nd round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. Rodrigo Garro and Pedro Raul scored for the black-and-white side.

With the result, Corinthians reached 32 points and moved up to seventh place in the table. The team’s campaign now stands at eight wins, eight draws, and six losses, along with 24 goals scored and 20 conceded.

Photos: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

One of the scorers in the win, Pedro Raul found the net for the second consecutive match. The striker had already scored against Internacional and once again made the most of his opportunity in the starting lineup against Red Bull Bragantino. After the match, in an interview in the mixed zone, the player spoke about the importance of getting a run of games and the confidence he has received from the coaching staff and his teammates.

“Like you said, every player needs that run of games. A striker lives on goals. And I prepared myself a lot during the time I wasn’t playing. I knew the opportunity would come at some point. The coach gives me a lot of confidence, the group gives me a lot of confidence. And I prepared myself a lot, like I said, I understand the criticism. Playing for the biggest team in Brazil is like that, you’re under pressure all the time. And we have to be prepared, we have to take the positive things so we can keep improving, always wanting to evolve. And I’m a very calm guy when it comes to that. I understand where I am, what it means to wear this shirt. And that’s it, it’s up to me to prepare myself, be willing and ready so that, when the opportunity comes, I can live up to it.”

Pedro Raul then looked ahead to Corinthians’ next challenge. The team returns to the field on Thursday (13) against Rosario Central in Argentina for the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores round of 16. The player highlighted the need for physical recovery before preparations for the match begin.

“First, it’s time to rest, because today’s match was very difficult. Coming here to play against Bragantino is tough. And winning here is even tougher. We’re going to rest now, see what the coach is going to give us in terms of strategy and, for sure, we’re going to prepare very well to go there and get the win. We learned a lesson there in Porto Alegre: in a 180-minute tie, if you switch off for a moment, they score, they make things difficult for us. So we have to know that, learn from our mistake, go there and get the win.”

The striker also revealed a recent conversation with Fernando Diniz. According to Pedro Raul, the coach had told him that his opportunity would come and asked the center-forward to reproduce in matches what he had been showing in training.

“Yes, there was. He spoke to me about ten days ago and said my opportunity would come and that I had to do what I do in training, what I’ve done elsewhere. Do it here at Corinthians, score my goals, be in good shape, keep preparing myself so that, when the opportunity comes, I can deliver. And that’s it, thank God I’ve had this experience. In two matches, I managed to score two goals. But it’s still not enough, I want to improve more, I want to score more goals and keep helping our team.”

Pedro Raul also commented on the impact of the goal he scored against Internacional in the previous match. For the center-forward, getting back on the scoresheet helped boost his confidence ahead of Sunday’s clash.

“A goal is always good, and for a striker, that goes without saying. And yes, goals help. Feeling this confidence from the team and from the coach is very good. And I have to prepare myself. I’ve been preparing for a long time to have this run that I’m having now. And that’s it, just keep going. Thursday is going to be a very difficult match there. And, God willing, I’ll score more goals and help us get the win.”

After the win over Red Bull Bragantino in the Brazilian Championship, Corinthians now shifts its focus to the Conmebol Libertadores. Next Thursday (13), Timão visits Argentina’s Rosario Central at the Gigante de Arroyito for the first leg of the continental competition’s round of 16.

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