Hugo: I didn’t study Gabigol’s penalty, I’ve known him for years | OneFootball

Hugo Souza was the hero of Corinthians' qualification to the grand final of the Copa do Brasil. The goalkeeper saved two penalty kicks, including one from Gabigol, and helped secure the team's spot in the final. After the match, he spoke about the missed penalty by the Cruzeiro forward.

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The Corinthians goalkeeper said he didn't even study to save Gabriel Barbosa's penalty. The athlete knows the number 9 from their time at Flamengo and preferred to rely on his "feeling".

“I chose not to watch Gabriel's penalties. He's a guy I've known for many years, we've trained together since 2019. When he arrived at Flamengo, I was already there, and we've always trained together. I think he must know this, but there's a guy who has already saved his penalty in training, and that guy was me. That's why I chose not to watch the videos and went with my feeling, went with what I believed would work,” said Hugo Souza.

The goalkeeper revealed that he changed his strategy at the last minute. After Gabigol's miss, he also saved Walace's penalty.

“I came with a strategy to save his penalty. I changed the strategy at the moment and, thank God, it worked. He's a great player, right? He's also a friend I have in football. So, I want to congratulate him on the career he's been building,” the player stated.

“He's a guy I respect a lot, but I'm here to defend my jersey. Today I'm happy, very happy, to have saved not only his but also the second one, which secured our qualification today,” he added.

Vasco in sight!

In pursuit of the fourth title, Corinthians will face Vasco in the Copa do Brasil final. Fernando Diniz's team eliminated Fluminense on penalties this Sunday at Maracanã.

The first leg of the final is scheduled for next Wednesday, December 17, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), hosted by Corinthians. The decisive match will be on the 21st, next Sunday, at 6:30 PM, at Maracanã.

Next Corinthians match

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