Corinthians lack spark, held to goalless draw by Luverdense in the Copinha

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Central do Timão

·7 de enero de 2026

Corinthians lack spark, held to goalless draw by Luverdense in the Copinha

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the night of this Tuesday (6th), Corinthians faced Luverdense at Estádio Zezinho Magalhães in the second round of the group stage of the Copinha and ended in a goalless draw. With this result, Timãozinho reaches four points, in second place in Group 8, needing just a draw to qualify for the knockout stage. The group leader is XV de Jaú, with six points.

Coach William Batista fielded the following team for the match: Matheus Corrêa; Guilherme Pellegrin, Fernando Vera, Iago Machado, and Pires; Thomas Lisboa (Pedro Thomas), Caraguá (Robert Lopes), Luiz Eduardo (Vitinho Dourado), Luizinho (Léo Agostinho), Luiz Fábio ‘Favela’ (Nicolas Araújo), and Tupã (Rodrigo Jr). The bench options included Gustavo Milani, Lorenzo Corrêa, Robert Lopes, Rodrigo Jr, Nicolas Araújo, Léo Agostinho, Ruan Victor, Pedro Thomas, and Vitinho Dourado.

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Photo: Wanderson Oliveira/Corinthians

Right-back João Vitor ‘Jacaré’, midfielder Luiz Gustavo Bahia, and midfielder Gui Amorim are last-minute absences, as they were called by coach Dorival Júnior to join the professional team's training, aiming at the start of the 2026 Campeonato Paulista, next Sunday (11th).

Luverdense Lineup

The opponent, coached by Raphael Ferreira, took the field with: Kaique Feijó; João Murilo, Cesar Sebalho, João Pedro do Santos, and Ikaro Gabriel; Vinicius Garcia, Guilherme Ilha, and Ryan Medeiros; Eduardo Coltro, Pablo Vinicius, and Daniel de Oliveira.

Refereeing

The match referee was Ariel de Moura Ambiel, assisted by Bruno Nunes de Moraes and Henrique Calderan Gomes de Oliveira. Igor Henrique Evas Rovero was the fourth official. The tournament, at this stage, does not use VAR assistance.

First Half

In the opening minutes of the match between Luverdense and Corinthians, Timãozinho pressed high in the offensive field. Within 20 seconds, the Alvinegro created a good play on the right side with Luiz Fernando and Caraguá, but the ball went out over the goal line.

After five minutes, both teams showed intensity in marking, making the game balanced. Up to that point, the main highlight for Corinthians was Luiz Fernando, who was sharp when in possession on the right side. Four minutes later, midfielder Luiz Eduardo committed a foul on an opponent in the right attacking midfield. The free-kick went out for a throw-in.

At 15 minutes into the first half, the match remained balanced with no clear goal chances for either side. Corinthians' main playmaking zone was on the right, with Pellegrin and Luiz Fernando in that sector. By the 26th minute, the game continued with few chances for both sides.

The Alvinegro circled Luverdense's area but couldn't finish the plays accurately. Two minutes later, the first substitution for the Filhos do Terrão: forward Kayke Dallaqua, who had received a yellow card in the previous play – his second in the competition, left the field for Rodrigo Júnior.

At 32 minutes, Corinthians played out poorly on the left side. The ball ended up with João Barros, who shot from distance into the hands of goalkeeper Matheus Corrêa. By 39 minutes, Timãozinho continued to struggle in creating clear chances and had unproductive possession – lacking midfield involvement in playmaking.

At 43 minutes, Luverdense threatened on the right side with a low cross into Matheus Corrêa's hands. When the clock hit 45 minutes, the referee added three minutes. In the last play of the first half, midfielder Caraguá crossed into the area, and forward Luiz Fábio headed into goalkeeper Feijó's hands.

At 48 minutes, end of the first half: Luverdense 0 x 0 Corinthians.

Second Half

To start the second half, coach William Batista made no changes. The opening minutes of the second half saw Corinthians taking a more aggressive stance with greater presence in the attacking field, but still struggling to finish plays.

At four minutes, forward Rodrigo Jr made an individual play on the left and shot firmly, forcing Feijó to palm it away! Two minutes later, Luverdense threatened with a tight cross from full-back Ícaro. At seven minutes, Luiz Fernando, 'Luizinho', made an individual play on the right and crossed into the goalkeeper's hands.

At 16 minutes, an opponent shot from midfield with a deflection into Matheus Corrêa's hands. In the next play, Luiz Fábio ‘Favela’ received a deep pass from Thomas Lisboa on the left, took it to the goal line, and crossed into the box towards Luizinho, but Luverdense's defense cleared it, and the ball ended up in Feijó's hands.

At 22 minutes, Luverdense threatened again. After a cross from right to left, the opponent's number 20 tried to get past Guilherme Pellegrin, who tackled the ball inside the area. Three minutes later, two more changes for Corinthians: midfielder Vitinho Dourado and forward Léo Agostinho replaced Luiz Eduardo and Luizinho, respectively.

With the change, Léo Agostinho moved to the left wing, and Rodrigo Jr switched to the opposite side, supporting Luiz Fábio in the center. At 28 minutes, Corinthians earned a free-kick near the penalty area. However, Vitinho Dourado's shot went wide.

At 35 minutes into the final half, three changes for Corinthians: left-back/midfielder Robert Lopes, midfielder Pedro Thomas, and forward Nicolas Araújo replaced Caraguá, Thomas Lisboa, and Luiz Fábio ‘Favela’, respectively. With the new changes, Pires returned to his original position (midfield), and Robert (a natural midfielder) moved to left-back.

At 41 minutes, after a free-kick from the left offensive side, Barros anticipated at the near post and headed over Corinthians' goal. In the next play, Léo Agostinho received on the left wing, cut inside, and shot into Feijó's hands, who almost fumbled but made the save!

When the clock hit 45 minutes, the referee added six more minutes. At 47, Corinthians earned a corner after a launch from defender Iago Machado. On Vitinho Dourado's corner, Nicolas Araújo appeared to head at the near post, and Feijó made an excellent save. On the rebound, Iago shot, and the goalkeeper saved again!

The referee added one more minute. At 97, end of the game: Luverdense 0 x 0 Corinthians.

Next Match

Now, Corinthians will return to the field for the Copinha next Friday (9th) to face XV de Jaú at 6:15 PM (Brasília time) in the third and final round of the group stage of the tournament. With four points and in second place in Group 8, a draw guarantees Timãozinho in the knockout stage.

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