Corinthians edge Cruzeiro with Memphis goal, lead Copa do Brasil semi | OneFootball

The Corinthians surprised Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte and gained an advantage in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil. The Timão relied on a goal from Memphis Depay and defeated the Minas Gerais team 1-0 on Wednesday night at the Mineirão, in the first leg of the matchup.

Match Situation

With this result, Corinthians can advance to the tournament's grand final with a draw in the second match at the Neo Química Arena. A defeat by one goal difference for the black and white team takes the duel to penalties. However, a loss by two or more goals will qualify Cruzeiro.

On the other side of the bracket, Vasco and Fluminense will start their battle for a spot in the final this Thursday at 8 PM (Brasília time) at Maracanã.

📋 Match Summary

🔵⚪ CRUZEIRO 0 x 1 CORINTHIANS ⚫⚪

🏆 Competition: Copa do Brasil (semifinal first leg) 🏟️ Venue: Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte (MG) 📅 Date: December 10, 2025 (Wednesday) ⏰ Time: 9:30 PM (Brasília time) 👥 Attendance: 59,052 spectators 💰 Revenue: R$ 6,376,848.02 🟨 Yellow Cards: Memphis Depay, Romero, Gustavo Henrique, Hugo Souza, Maycon, and André (Corinthians); Matheus Pereira, Fabrício Bruno, and Lucas Romero (Cruzeiro) 🟥 Red Cards: None

Refereeing

Goal:

🔵⚪ Cruzeiro

Cássio; William, Fabrício Bruno, Villalba (Jonathan Jesus), and Kaiki Bruno; Lucas Romero, Lucas Silva (Eduardo), Christian (Sinisterra), and Matheus Pereira; Arroyo (Gabigol) and Kaio Jorge. Coach: Leonardo Jardim

⚫⚪ Corinthians

Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, André Ramalho, Gustavo Henrique, and Matheus Bidu; José Martínez (Charles), Maycon, Carrillo (André), and Breno Bidon (Angileri); Memphis Depay (Rodrigo Garro) and Yuri Alberto (Vitinho). Coach: Dorival Júnior

How was the match?

Eventful Start

The match started lively, with chances for both sides. Corinthians began better and threatened at five minutes. Memphis Depay took a corner into the box, and after a deflection, Cássio saved Cruzeiro. The Raposa responded at 10 minutes with a low shot from Matheus Pereira that was stopped by Hugo Souza.

Focused on marking, Timão managed to neutralize the hosts and posed a threat again at 12 minutes. Memphis received the ball in the middle, drove forward, and shot high, just missing the crossbar.

Memphis Opens the Score

Corinthians' superiority at the Mineirão translated into a goal at 21 minutes. After a play built from foot to foot, Carrillo crossed to the far post for Yuri Alberto, who flicked it to Memphis Depay in the middle of the area. The Dutchman finished in two attempts and opened the score for the team from Parque São Jorge.

The match became scrappy after the goal. Tension increased, and players began to clash. Corinthians retreated and ceded possession to Cruzeiro, who tried to press but couldn't create scoring chances.

Cruzeiro's Pressure

Cruzeiro returned from the break with a different attitude and almost equalized within a minute of the second half with a header from Arroyo. Hugo Souza saved. At 13 minutes, Arroyo put the ball into the area, it deflected off Matheus Bidu's head, and Hugo had to make another save. Cruzeiro's pressure!

The hosts continued to circle Corinthians' area and threatened again at 15 minutes. Matheus Pereira shot from the edge of the area, the ball deflected off André Ramalho, and went close to the post. At 20 minutes, Matheus Pereira received from Kaiki Bruno and headed to Kaio Jorge, who controlled, turned, and shot against the defense.

Timão withstood Cruzeiro's pressure and almost extended their lead at 39 minutes. Vitinho received on the left, nutmegged Fabrício Bruno beautifully, and shot across goal, but missed wide.

Next Match

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