Corinthians celebrate, Cruzeiro make history: record crowd at final | OneFootball

On Sunday afternoon, the Neo Química Arena welcomed 41,130 fans for the final of the Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino Série A1, which also recorded the highest revenue in the history of women’s club football in Brazil: R$ 1,237,699.00. On the field, Corinthians defeated Cruzeiro 1-0, securing their seventh championship title in the competition (seven titles in total, six consecutive). The decisive goal was scored by Thaís Ferreira at the beginning of the second half, capitalizing on the rebound from a shot by Duda Sampaio.

The first half of the final was evenly matched. Cruzeiro managed to block Corinthians’ main attacks and even created a good chance with a play down the right, but the shot went wide. Corinthians had more possession and hovered around the opponent’s box, but ran into the strong marking of the team from Minas Gerais.

In the second half, the pressure from the São Paulo side paid off early. Four minutes in, Duda took a shot from outside the box, the Cruzeiro goalkeeper deflected it, and Thaís Ferreira was left free to score. From then on, Corinthians controlled the match better, while Cruzeiro relied on counterattacks. In the final minutes, the team from Minas almost spoiled Corinthians’ celebration: in a decisive moment, goalkeeper Lelê came out poorly, the ball fell to Cruzeiro’s forwards, but the shot didn’t go in, wasting the clearest chance to equalize and take the match to penalties.

Cruzeiro’s campaign in this Brasileiro was historic. In the first phase, the “Cabulosas” finished in first place with 36 points in 15 games, with 11 wins, 3 draws, and only 1 loss. The team scored 35 goals and conceded 15, resulting in a goal difference of +20. In the knockout stage, they eliminated Red Bull Bragantino in the quarterfinals (0-0 away and a 2-0 win at home) and faced Palmeiras in the semifinals: they won the first leg 3-1 away, lost the second in Belo Horizonte 2-1, but advanced with an aggregate score of 4-3.

The final began at Independência with an exciting 2-2 draw between Cruzeiro and Corinthians, leaving the title up for grabs in the return match. Despite finishing as runners-up, the campaign consolidates Cruzeiro as a rising force in women’s football in the country, showing consistency, offensive efficiency, and the ability to overcome adversity. The team also secured their first-ever spot in the 2026 Copa Libertadores, reinforcing the growth of the club and women’s football in Minas Gerais.

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