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Throughout the afternoon of last Wednesday (17), Corinthians faced Vitória at Estádio Alfredo Schürig, Fazendinha, in a match valid for the 16th round of the 2026 Brazilian Under-20 Championship qualifying stage, and won 2-1. The result put the Filhos do Terrão back in the top eight of the national tournament with 25 points — seven wins, four draws, and five losses — with 27 goals scored and 21 conceded.

A few minutes after the match, head coach William Batista gave an exclusive interview to Central do Timão and spoke about the performance and individual form of Timãozinho’s goalscorers: midfielder Luiz Gustavo Bahia and forward Luiz Fernando. The former found the net in the 21st minute of the first half after sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot. After spending the second half of last year with the senior squad, he returned to the Under-20 side at the start of 2026 to maintain match rhythm and has been one of the team’s leaders.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Graphic: Central do Timão

“I’ve been using Bahia in a few positions there as a 5, sometimes as an 8, and he’s been getting into the opponent’s box a bit more. Bahia has shown a very good ability as a holding midfielder, as a 5, to build plays and start moves from deep,” he began. Last year, the midfielder was Timãozinho’s second-highest scorer in the category with nine goals in 26 matches.

Regarding winger Luiz Fernando, ‘Luizinho,’ who has been the team’s standout player this season, as he is the team’s top scorer with 12 goals in 22 games, the Under-20 manager revealed that he had been working with the player on specific finishing fundamentals. The goal he scored, therefore, was the culmination of the training sessions carried out during the week of the match against Vitória.

The number 11 scored in the 42nd minute of the second half after receiving a pass from Guilherme Pires and firing a cross-shot. In the first half, he had missed a similar chance after receiving a pass from Luiz Fábio ‘Favela’ inside the penalty area.

“Luizinho’s second goal today means a lot to us. He hadn’t been taking those shots in previous games, so I started pushing him in training to take more chances. We did some extra work this week, in which he practiced a lot of right-footed finishing. On the goal play, the entire bench shouted for him to shoot with his right foot. Thankfully, he took the chance and found the net,” he added.

William celebrated the youngster’s development and responded about the possibility of Bahia and Luiz Fernando being used in the senior team, coached by Fernando Diniz, in the second half of the season. Corinthians, it is worth remembering, is in a serious financial crisis and is facing a new transfer ban from FIFA, preventing the club from registering new signings at the moment, which could lead to the youth academy being used more and more.

“It’s rewarding when we work with a player who already scored goals, but who this year, for example, has already surpassed last season’s total with half the number of games. I see that as partly influenced by our work, but the final credit is his. Without his dedication and without him believing in what we do, this wouldn’t be possible. The situation is taking shape, and Diniz, with all the intelligence and experience he has, will know the right moment to give opportunities to the two of them or to other players when needed,” he continued.

After beating Vitória at home in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, Corinthians remains focused on the national competition. That is because next Saturday (20), the team will face Cruzeiro at CT Toca da Raposa, away from home, in the 17th round of the tournament’s first phase. A positive result could bring Timão closer to qualification for the quarterfinals.

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