Garro: Corinthians didn't deserve to lose at Botafogo in Brasileirão | OneFootball

During the afternoon of this Sunday (17), Corinthians faced Botafogo at Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, in a match valid for the 16th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, and lost 3-1. Alvinegro’s goal was scored by midfielder Rodrigo Garro early in the second half. With the result, the Corinthians side returns to the relegation zone – in 17th place with 18 points – four wins, six draws and six defeats – 14 goals scored and 18 conceded.

Still on the pitch, in an interview with Premiere after the final whistle, midfielder Rodrigo Garro lamented the negative result and said the team did not deserve this afternoon’s scoreline given the performance Corinthians had over the 90 minutes: “I’m very upset about today’s result. I think we had a good first half, but in the second half we weren’t able to control the match.”

Photo: Reproduction/Premiere

“But even so, I think that when you look at the game’s numbers, we didn’t deserve to end up like this, but in football these things happen. We can’t keep staying in the position we’re in. I’m very sad and upset, and the group feels the same way as well”, he began. The number 8 also stressed that the goal is to finish the Brazilian Championship in the top positions: “Now it’s about talking less and working harder. Staying humble so we can learn from our mistakes and finish the Brasileirão near the top, as we set out to do at the start of the year,” he continued.

Lastly, he analyzed Corinthians’ away form in the Brasileirão. In eight matches so far, they have one win, four draws and three defeats. The club from Parque São Jorge has not won away from Itaquera in the national competition for almost three months – four draws and three defeats, with six goals scored and 10 conceded. The last victory came on February 19, when Timão, still managed by Dorival Júnior, beat Athletico-PR by the narrowest of margins at Arena da Baixada, in the second round.

“I understand that the away results are not what we want or what we work for. Things happen during matches that leave us frustrated, I’m not going to go into detail about the refereeing, otherwise we get sanctioned, but unfortunately this was the result. I want to thank the fans for traveling many kilometers to support us here. As I always say, now it’s time to work with humility and commitment, because the shirt we represent carries a lot of weight,” he concluded.

Since Fernando Diniz arrived at the beginning of April, Rodrigo Garro has been Corinthians’ standout player. In 12 matches under the new coach, he has eight assists. Considering the whole season so far, he is also the team’s top provider, with 11 assists. The players in second place in that category have two.

Signed in January 2024 after standing out for Talleres of Argentina, Rodrigo Garro quickly became one of Corinthians’ main technical references. He was crucial in the team’s surge in the Brasileirão two seasons ago (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores preliminary stage), leading that edition of the tournament in assists (10) and being included in the ESPN Bola de Prata Award Team of the Year.

Overall, he has 17 goals and 33 assists in 130 matches (105 as a starter) for Corinthians, having played an effective role in the club’s Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025) and Supercopa do Brasil (2026) title wins, against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, respectively.

Now, after being beaten by Botafogo away from home in the Brasileirão, Corinthians turns its focus back to the Conmebol Libertadores group stage. That is because next Thursday (21), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, Alvinegro will visit Peñarol-URU in a match for the fifth round of the international competition’s qualifying phase.

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