Corinthians' Brasileirão return-opener drought goes on after Bahia draw | OneFootball

Corinthians began the second half of the 2026 Brazilian Championship with a 1-1 draw against Bahia last Sunday (26) at Arena Fonte Nova. The result maintained a trend that has followed the club in recent seasons: Timão once again failed to win its first match of the second half of the competition.

Corinthians’ last win in the opening round of the second half of the Brasileirão came in 2022, when they beat Botafogo 1-0. Since then, the team has gone four straight such openers without a victory, with two draws and two defeats.

The streak began in 2023, when Corinthians drew 1-1 with Cruzeiro. The following year, they were beaten 2-1 by Atlético-MG. In 2025, they lost again by the same scoreline, this time to Bahia. In the 2026 season, the team once again faced the Bahia club and settled for a 1-1 draw.

Although they were unable to end the drought in second-half openers, Corinthians extended another positive run while playing in Salvador. The club has not lost to Bahia away in the Brazilian Championship since 2021. Since then, there have been four matches in the Bahian capital, with one win and three draws.

Also taking into account matches against Vitória played in Salvador, Timão’s unbeaten run in the city has reached seven consecutive games.

Corinthians entered the match riding a streak of positive results before the draw at Arena Fonte Nova. In the previous rounds of the Brazilian Championship, the team had beaten Atlético-MG, Grêmio, and Remo, collecting nine points that moved the club closer to the top part of the table.

With the draw against Bahia, Timão reached 28 points and finished the 20th round in ninth place in the Brazilian Championship, remaining three points behind the competition’s top five.

Now, Corinthians will try to end the drought in second-half openers by bouncing back immediately in the competition. Their next match will be on Thursday (30) at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) against Athletico at Neo Química Arena, for the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship.

Corinthians’ second-half openers in the Brasileirão since 2022

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