São Paulo fight back to beat Corinthians 2-1 in Women's A1 final opener | OneFootball

With a 2-1 win over Corinthians at Neo Química Arena this Saturday (26), São Paulo will play the second leg of the Brasileirão Feminino A1 final at home with the advantage next Saturday (3).

As Soberanas are out for revenge to lift the trophy for the first time, while the Brabas are chasing their eighth title in their 10th straight final.

The equalizer and the comeback

Corinthians started the match with more attacking control and, in the 4th minute, Vic Albuquerque’s first dangerous shot went over the goal. The pressure paid off and, in the 10th minute, Gabi Zanotti opened the scoring with a counterattack that started on the right and ended with Vic’s cross for the forward to head home.

The Soberanas’ response came 8 minutes later, with Serrana on the right, who, after a one-two with Aline Milene, sent the ball into the box for Crivelari to level the match. From the 30th minute onward, São Paulo created more chances in search of the lead.

Gabi Zanotti opens the scoring for Corinthians at home in the first leg of the Feminino A1 finalCredits: Rebeca Reis/Staff Images Woman/CBF

After a mistake in buildup by the Corinthians defense, Robinha intercepted and shot from outside the box, but the ball went out for a throw-in. Then Bruna Calderan found space and played an excellent pass to Isa, who fired a cross-shot wide. Before stoppage time, Serrana also tried from outside the area, but the ball was stopped by Nicole.

The Corinthians goalkeeper made good saves early in the second half, including on a rebound in the 10th minute, but the team could not withstand the visitors’ attacking pace. In the 22nd minute, taking advantage of another buildup error by the defense, this time in midfield, Isa burst forward and scored São Paulo’s second.

Not even the comeback silenced the stands, which, fueled by Gaviões da Fiel, cheered every attack and defensive play by the Brabas from start to finish. A crowd of 21,871 was in attendance, surpassing the semifinal match against Bahia at the same stadium and setting the attendance record for national women’s competitions in 2026.

Champions

CBF established the Brazilian Women’s Championship A1 in 2013 and, since then, six clubs have won the title: Corinthians (7 times), Ferroviária (2), Centro Olímpico (1), Rio Preto (1), Flamengo (1), and Santos (1). In 13 years, this is only the second time the title has been decided by a Majestoso. In 2024, Corinthians got the better of São Paulo and were crowned tournament champions.

This year, the prize money is R$ 2 million for the champion and R$ 1 million for the runner-up. The 18 clubs that played in the first stage received R$ 720,000 (double the amount from the previous year) as a participation fee.

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