Spanish paper hails Di María after Central-Corinthians Libertadores draw | OneFootball

On the night of last Thursday (13), Corinthians faced Rosario Central of Argentina at the Gigante de Arroyito Stadium in the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores round of 16 and came away with a goalless draw. The two teams will meet again next Thursday (20) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Neo Química Arena. If there is another draw, the team that advances will be decided in a penalty shootout.

The match between Rosario Central-ARG and Corinthians drew attention in foreign newspapers, largely because of the presence of Ángel Di María, the international star who has played for European giants and who, in mid-2025, returned to Argentine football to play for the club where he began his career. Spain’s AS, in its analysis of the match, described the performance of the Corinthians team, coached by Fernando Diniz, as “combative”.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

The Spanish outlet also highlights the good result achieved by the club from Parque São Jorge even without forward Memphis Depay, whose contract with Timão was not renewed after it expired on July 31, in addition to neutralizing Ángel Di María’s performance. With Yuri Alberto injured, Pedro Raul started in the role, with Gui Negão as an option on the bench.

“The trip to Argentina for the Copa Libertadores did not affect Corinthians. Diniz’s team, after the decision not to renew Memphis’ contract, secured a goalless draw against Rosario Central in a match in which Di María was practically neutralized,” part of the report says.

The newspaper also highlights the marking on the highly touted Argentine player, who, whenever he got on the ball, was double-teamed by left-back Matheus Bidu and midfielder Breno Bidon. The No. 21, in fact, was one of Timão’s standout individual performers in the match.

“Di María, as usual since returning to South America, tried to carry the team on his back. The winger, who always had a defender close to him when he received the ball, found Campaz to be his best partner. But it was not enough,” another part of the article states.

Finally, the AS report points out that not even the sending-off of defensive midfielder Allan in the 35th minute of the second half — when he had been one of Corinthians’ best players on the field — was enough for Rosario to secure a win in the opening chapter of the tie. The newspaper comments on the Argentines’ lack of effectiveness in attack.

“Not even Allan’s sending-off for Corinthians in the final stretch of the match changed the course of the game. In fact, it gave Rosario Central an extra boost, resulting in more attacks inside the Brazilian team’s box. But it all faded in the same way as the rest of their home performance: an uneven display that leaves everything open,” it adds.

Before the second leg of the Conmebol Libertadores round of 16, Corinthians turns its focus back to the Brazilian Championship. On Sunday night (16), at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), in the 23rd round of the national tournament, Timão will face Cruzeiro at Neo Química Arena. At the moment, Alvinegro is in seventh place with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws and six defeats — with 24 goals scored and 20 conceded.

Di María speaks!

Known by football fans for his notable spells in Europe, playing for clubs such as Benfica (Portugal, twice), Real Madrid (Spain), Manchester United (England), PSG (France) and Juventus (Italy), the Argentine star, while analyzing the match, praised the quality of the Corinthians team, but noted that Rosario were superior in the game.

“We did much more than the result showed. I think we had difficulties in the first half because of the wind, but even so, we created chances and played well. We’re talking about a Libertadores round-of-16 match against an opponent with a lot of quality that plays very well.”

“We were superior throughout the match, created many opportunities, but football is like that. The game ended 0-0, and qualification will be decided there. They managed a draw here, and we can do the same there or even score goals. We will have the support of our fans, who will be by our side. We will do everything to qualify for the quarterfinals,” he said.

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