Gotham FC lost to Corinthians in FIFA Women's Champions Cup semifinals | OneFootball

2026 got off to a tough start for NJ/NY Gotham FC as they lost 1-0 to South American champions Sport Club Corinthians Paulista in the FIFA Women's Champions Cup semifinals. This marks the first defeat in knockout competition for the Bats since the 2024 NWSL semifinals, where they lost to the Washington Spirit on penalty kicks.

While the team is still somewhat in preseason mode, this was still a tournament Gotham wanted to win. They even started preseason more than a week earlier than other teams in NWSL. Losing this match will be a blow to the squad, but it is not the end of the world either.

They still have a chance to end this trip with a positive in Sunday's game, but they will view even just being in that match as a failure, given their high standards for themselves

Potentially having a disappointing loss like this to open the year might actually be a good thing, as it could open Gotham FC's eyes and help them realize that they cannot rest on their laurels and that last season's championship is in the past. Having this wake-up call come so soon and not affect their NWSL regular season campaign should be viewed as a bonus for being in this game.

Gotham FC had a tough start to the year

The match started with Gotham FC as aggressive as ever, pushing forward and even creating one or two decent chances. This would continue as the opening 15 minutes were pretty much all in the NWSL side's favor. Corinthians had one shot during this period of play, but it was blocked.

The first yellow card of 2026 came courtesy of Savannah McCaskill, who was in the Starting XI after being reacquired in the offseason via trade with San Diego Wave FC. As the half went on, the Brazilian team grew into the game and had their first big chance in the 22nd minute. After a bit of pressure, the opponents managed a shot that was blocked by Jess Carter.

Gotham would have a few more decent chances as the half went on, but failed to find the back of the net as halftime came with the game still scoreless. It was easy to see that the Bats were still in preseason mode and still trying to get everything figured out. There were really good passages of play for most of the half, but also times where things looked disconnected and a little sloppy.

The second half began with Gotham forced into a change just four minutes in as Gabi Portilho went down for the second time in this game and could not continue with an apparent injury. She was replaced by Katie Stengel while Mandy Freeman replaced Bruninha in what looked like a tactical sub rather than one forced by injury.

And just a few minutes after coming on, Stengel had the best chance of the match so far. Midge Purce put in a great cross that eventually found the foot of the center-forward, but she scuffed her shot just feet in front of an open goal and sent the cross wide.

Corinthians had their first chance of the half in the 68th minute when midfielder Duda Sampaio saw Ann-Katrin Berger off her line and blasted a shot from midfield that went wide of the goal.

But just as it looked like Gotham was about to find the opener, it was Corinthians who scored instead. The NJ/NY team had been knocking on the door, which included a really good corner kick. However, the Brazilian side hit back on the counter, and after Gotham survived the initial wave of pressure, it was Corinthians' 40-year-old captain, Gabi Zanotti, who found the opener. A cross that was just out of reach for Carter fell to Zanotti, who got the shot off that went off Berger's hands and into the back of the Gotham goal.

Things then went from bad to worse as in stoppage time, Lavelle went down with a potential head injury. As she was tripped up and heading down, the ball was unintentionally booted into her face, leaving her unable to continue.

Gotham had a few last-ditch efforts, which included a scramble in the box and a last-second Shaw free kick that ended up wide of the goal. This would ultimately be the last kick of the game as the Bats were on the losing side.

It was a very typical performance by the ladies. They created loads of pressure and chances, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net, and then were undone by their one major defensive miscue of the match.

It is still preseason, and there is an opportunity to end on a high with the third-place game, but this was a less-than-ideal way to start 2026. Hopefully, the injuries to Portilho and Lavelle are not too serious, and they are available for Gotham FC at the start of the NWSL season.