Corinthians keeper slams refereeing after Flamengo win, eyes run-in | OneFootball

At the start of the evening this Monday (3), Corinthians visited Flamengo at the Estádio Luso-Brasileiro, in Rio de Janeiro, in a match valid for the 14th round of the 2026 Brazilian Women’s Championship, and won 1-0. The Brabas’ goal was scored by forward Jhonson. With the result, Timão reached 34 points and returned to the top of the Brasileirão table, overtaking rivals Palmeiras and São Paulo.

After the final whistle, still on the pitch, goalkeeper Nicole gave an interview to the broadcasters and criticized the refereeing, especially the sending-off of defensive midfielder Dayana Rodríguez in the second half. The keeper also admitted that, with one player less and the lead on the scoreboard, Corinthians chose to slow the game down more and run down the clock.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Ag. Corinthians

“We were even upset because we thought the referee stopped the match too little. There were a lot of fouls, even some that deserved cards for the opponent. And then after Day (Rodríguez) was sent off, I think that’s football, I think strategy is part of it, so yes, we tried to break up the game and waste time, especially because with one player less the girls have to run a lot more. From the sending-off on, yes, we started breaking up the game, but that’s not our game strategy, we like to keep possession of the ball. Anyway, it has nothing to do with that, it’s about game savvy, being one player down, I think it’s part of football,” the player said.

“We complained because I think before the foul on Day, there was a foul on Robledo. And I don’t think Day committed a yellow-card foul. I think the other girl gets there and hits her first, so that was our complaint. She was very unsure, playing advantage a lot in situations where we thought there was no advantage, and not stopping play at the moments when she should have. So that was our complaint. We thought the foul wasn’t by Day, there was a foul before that, and the foul was also by the other girl on Day. So that was our complaint. But I think she, anyway, she’s the one who makes the decision there, it happens very fast, but we didn’t agree with the decision,” Nicole added.

Later in the interview, the goalkeeper also spoke about the decisive stage of the season that Corinthians have ahead and stressed the importance of being mentally strong. Finally, the player also spoke about her dream of playing in the 2027 World Cup with the Brazilian National Team.

“I think now the key phase of the year begins. This second half of the season brings knockout matches in the Paulista, the Brasileirão, and the Libertadores, and we prepare all year for this. I think at this moment it’s much more about mentality, because when it’s the regular rounds, the league schedule, it’s completely different from knockout football, so we try a lot to strengthen our mindset for this second half of the season, which I think weighs heavily and makes a big difference,” Nicole said.

“It’s everyone’s dream, I’ve never hidden that it’s my dream too, but I’ve always seen it as a consequence of good work at the club. So I focus a lot here at the club on playing well and helping Corinthians, because I think the result of that is getting an opportunity. The World Cup, the call-up, is always a consequence, but of course, I think it’s what everyone wants,” she concluded.

After facing Flamengo away from home in the Women’s Brasileirão, Corinthians now turn their attention back to the Women’s Paulista Championship. Next Sunday (9), at 4 p.m. Brasília time, Alvinegro face Santos away from home in the sixth round of the first stage of the state competition. At the moment, the Brabas sit in fourth place with seven points — two wins, one draw and two defeats — with 10 goals scored and five conceded.

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