Corinthians win with efficiency and a touch of luck | OneFootball

By Thais Bueno

Until the 20th round, Corinthians seemed to be one of the unluckiest teams in the Brazilian Championship. Since then, however, luck seems to have turned for Timão. It was with remnants of this same good fortune, along with efficiency, that the São Paulo team defeated Fluminense last Saturday, 1-0, overcoming recent traumas at Maracanã – see the recent thrashing suffered at this same stadium.

Coach Dorival Júnior, facing many absences in midfield, opted to maintain the system with three defenders and two wing-backs, which worked in the qualification over Athletico-PR in the Copa do Brasil. In midfield, Garro became a last-minute absence, and Vitinho started for the first time in the Argentine's role. The coach's strategy, however, did not work this time.

The game was not very exciting in the first 15 minutes. The duel was very stuck in the middle. Timão, without its main playmaker, couldn't exchange many passes in the offensive sector, and Vitinho did not take advantage of the chance as a starter. On the other hand, the São Paulo defense was also little tested, as Fluminense did not pose a threat.

Corinthians showed good defensive posture, but that was about it, as the offensive system didn't even create dangerous plays. Both teams, in fact, were far from starring in a great game at Maracanã. There was a lack of a little more attitude, and even intensity from both sides – understandable, since they came from exhausting games in the Copa do Brasil midweek.

In the final minutes of the first half, the duel began to gain more excitement. Corinthians started to work the ball a bit more, betting mainly on attacks from the left side, with Matheus Bidu. On the other hand, Hugo Souza got his uniform dirty and made the first two saves of the match, although they were easy.

Even so, it was a first half without great emotions at Maracanã, extremely poor in tactical terms. Both teams seemed satisfied with the draw which, in fact, would not be advantageous for either of them. The only positive point for the São Paulo side was the defense, which performed well against the (few) attempts by Flu.

For the second half, Dorival made two changes: the entries of young midfielder André Luiz and forward Yuri Alberto. As a result, it was Maycon who took on the role of number ten. The change, however, had no effect. The midfielder couldn't perform well in the role of a more creative playmaker, as he doesn't have that characteristic.

Around the 15-minute mark, Fluminense, playing at home, showed more desire to seek the result and started to press forward, especially after Renato Gaúcho's substitutions. The Rio team gave small scares, but couldn't involve the Corinthians defense, which was very strong on the right side, with André Ramalho having a good game.

It was then that, in a seemingly unpretentious play, Corinthians opened the scoring. Matheuzinho took a free-kick into the area. André Ramalho tried to deflect and ended up deceiving goalkeeper Fábio. By the time the keeper realized, the ball was already in the back of the net. The goal was (rightly) credited to the São Paulo wing-back. Usually, it's in plays like this that Timão tends to concede goals. But this time, luck was on Corinthians' side.

With the lead on the scoreboard, Corinthians played intelligently, as highlighted by Dorival. The team bet on counterattacks and defended very well against Fluminense's final pressure attempt.

Overall, Corinthians was far from playing a good game at Maracanã. Fluminense wasn't great either, it's true, but they were still better than Timão. However, this time, the São Paulo team was efficient and had luck on their side, taking three crucial points back to São Paulo.

Standings Situation

With the result, Corinthians gained three positions in the Brazilian Championship standings. Timão jumped to the ninth place and surpassed Fluminense itself, reaching 29 points. The São Paulo team also achieved its third unbeaten game in the competition, with two wins and one draw.

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