Corinthians defender hails side's fightback in Libertadores QF draw | OneFootball

On Wednesday night (9), Corinthians visited Estudiantes at Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, for the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals and came away with a 1-1 draw. Corinthians’ goal was scored by forward Kaio César right at the start of the second half. If the second match also ends in a draw, the decision will go to a penalty shootout. A win by any scoreline sends Timão to the semifinals.

In an interview with Rede Globo right on the pitch after the match, Gabriel Paulista analyzed the game and celebrated Alvinegro’s ability to respond in the second half. Wearing the No. 3 shirt, he said the team did not play a bad first half, even though they fell behind early on. The defender also highlighted the importance of the Corinthians fans for the return leg next Wednesday (16) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Neo Química Arena.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

“We went behind right at the start of the game and still managed to take a good result back to São Paulo. I think it was a lapse in concentration from us there; we had worked well on those plays and still ended up conceding. But that’s the strength of this group — the reaction, and we managed to react. We also didn’t have a bad first half. We had some possession, even a few chances to shoot. But in the second half we came back much better, and we managed to equalize right at the start. And taking a result like this back to São Paulo means a lot to us. The Arena will be packed, we know that. And we’ll go in search of qualification,” he began.

He was then asked about the head injury he suffered right at the start of the second half after an aerial challenge with an Estudiantes player: “Look, it’s different. For me it was a normal play, because this is the Libertadores. I don’t know, maybe it was a yellow card, especially since he (the opposing player) already had one. I think VAR didn’t even intervene in the play and left it to the on-field referee’s decision. But that’s it, we respect the decisions. The important thing is that we didn’t leave here defeated,” he said.

According to Sofascore, the sports statistics app, Gabriel Paulista received a 7.0 rating. Over the 90 minutes, he posted the following numbers: seven defensive contributions, 2/2 successful tackles, five clearances, two ball recoveries, 2/3 aerial duels won, 2/4 ground duels won, 46 touches, one foul suffered, 16 carries, 1/2 accurate long balls, and 31/37 accurate passes.

Developed in the youth academies of Taboão da Serra and Vitória, Gabriel Paulista left the northeastern club in 2013 to build his career in European football. On the old continent, he played for Villarreal (Spain), Arsenal (England), Valencia (Spain), Atlético de Madrid (Spain), and Beşiktaş (Turkey) before arriving at Corinthians. After two seasons in Turkish football, he terminated his contract to return to Brazil.

Since arriving at Corinthians, he has scored two goals in 39 matches (37 as a starter), with 17 wins, 11 draws, and 13 losses — a 51.7% success rate. In addition, he was part of the squad that won this year’s Supercopa do Brasil against Flamengo at Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília with a 2-0 victory. Gabriel Paulista, in fact, scored the goal that opened the scoring in the match.

After facing Estudiantes away from home in the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals, Corinthians now temporarily turns its focus back to the Brazilian Championship. Next Sunday (13), at 4 p.m. (Brasília time), Alvinegro visits Flamengo at Maracanã Stadium for the 27th round of the national competition. At the moment, Timão sits in 12th place with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws, and 10 losses — with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded.

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