Corinthians punished for errors in Fluminense defeat at Neo Química | OneFootball

Corinthians took the field this Sunday (20) with the mission of ending their negative run in the Brazilian Championship. The match of the 28th round was against Fluminense at Neo Química Arena, and Timão ended up suffering their sixth straight defeat in the competition. The match finished 3-1, with Corinthians’ goal scored by Gustavo Henrique.

In the first half, Corinthians had plenty of possession, but without causing much danger to the opponent. Fluminense, in turn, were more clinical and created the best chances of the game. The Rio side managed to open the scoring through Hulk, in a goal that was initially ruled out on the field for offside, but confirmed after a video review.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Corinthians Agency

In the second half, Timão did come back better and with a more aggressive approach. The team strongly pressured Fluminense until finding the equalizer through Gustavo Henrique. However, they failed to make the most of their dominant spell and ended up conceding again through another goal by Hulk, which came after a ball lost by Garro in midfield. Minutes later, the Argentine was dispossessed again, and the counterattack ended with a goal by Serna, sealing Corinthians’ home defeat.

Corinthians lineup

The Corinthians coaching staff had the following absences for the match against the Rio side: center-backs André Ramalho (partial work with the group after a bout of labyrinthitis) and Gabriel Paulista (pubic pain), defensive midfielder André Carrillo (load management), attacking midfielder Zakaria Labyad (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee), as well as forwards Yuri Alberto (recovering from fibrosis resulting from a grade 2B muscle injury in the thigh) and Kayke Ferrari (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee).

With that, Corinthians lined up for the match with Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, Iago Machado, Gustavo Henrique and Matheus Bidu; Raniele, André, Breno Bidon, Rodrigo Garro, Kaio César and Memphis Depay.

The substitutes available were: Kauê Camargo, João Pedro Tchoca, Pedro Milans, Fabrizio Angileri, Charles, Alex Santana, Matheus Pereira, André Luiz, Vitinho, Jesse Lingard, Dieguinho, Pedro Raul and Gui Negão.

Fluminense lineup

Led by interim coach Marcão, the Rio team started with: Fábio; Samuel Xavier, Thiago Silva, Millán, Renê, Martinelli, Nonato, Lucho Acosta, Canobbio, Serna and Hulk.

Refereeing

The CBF appointed Ramon Abatti Abel, from Santa Catarina, to referee the match. Nailton Junior de Sousa Oliveira and Henrique Neu Ribeiro were the assistants. Gustavo Ervino Bauermann served as the fourth official, while Daniel Nobre Bins was in charge of VAR operations.

Next match

Corinthians’ next match after facing Fluminense will be against Internacional in the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship. Due to a long FIFA international break, the match will only take place on October 7, at Beira-Rio, at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time).

First half

The first attacking move of the match came from Corinthians. In the very first minute, Corinthians won a corner and, after the delivery, the ball fell to Breno Bidon, who shot wide.

In the third minute, Nonato intercepted the ball in midfield and combined with Hulk. He then found a pass for Canobbio, who burst forward and tried to finish, but was stopped by Hugo Souza.

In the eighth minute, Millán played out poorly with Martinelli, André won it back for Corinthians and found Memphis inside the box, but the forward was blocked by the opposing defense as he tried to shoot.

In the 14th minute, Matheus Bidu received the ball on the left edge of the box and hit a low cross-shot, but it went past everyone. In the 16th minute, Serna combined quickly with Lucho Acosta and surged forward. He cut past Matheuzinho and shot, but the ball took a deflection and made the save easy for Hugo Souza.

Fluminense’s first goal: in the 23rd minute, Canobbio broke through the middle at speed and found Lucho Acosta on the left, who crossed for Hulk. In a very tight position, the Fluminense player poked it into the net with the tip of his boot. The referee initially disallowed it on the field, but VAR confirmed the goal after review.

In the 28th minute, Corinthians played out poorly, Martinelli won it back and passed to Lucho. The Argentine found Hulk, who laid it off for Serna inside the box. The Colombian forward went one-on-one with Hugo Souza, but shot wide. In the 33rd minute, Garro crossed for Raniele, who appeared unmarked but headed weakly toward Fábio.

In the 36th minute, Serna received from Renê, made a good move down the left and found Canobbio. The Uruguayan tried to cross and was blocked by the defense. Right after, he tried a direct shot on goal, but was blocked again by the Corinthians back line.

In the 46th minute, André received on the left, dribbled past Samuel Xavier and struck firmly. The ball rose too much and went over Fábio’s goal.

Then, in the 48th minute, Fluminense broke quickly with Serna, who surged from his own half and crossed for Hulk. The striker hit it first time and forced an important save from Hugo Souza.

The teams went into halftime with the score at 1-0.

Second half

Fernando Diniz came back from halftime with one change for Corinthians. Gui Negão replaced Iago Machado, with Raniele moving into the defensive line.

Timão started the second half trying to increase the pressure in search of an equalizer. Just two minutes in, Gui Negão created space and won a corner. Garro took it, but Fluminense’s defense came out on top and cleared the danger.

Shortly after, in the fourth minute, Garro had another set-piece opportunity. The midfielder sent a free kick in from the left, looking for teammates inside the box, but the ball went all the way across and out for a goal kick.

Right after that, Bidon advanced down the left and the loose ball fell to Matheus Bidu, who tried a shot. The ball, however, was deflected by the opposing defense.

Corinthians began relying heavily on aerial plays and had four consecutive corners in the span of just two minutes. On the last of them, André produced a fine individual move, beat two markers, and played a low ball into the box. Gustavo Henrique arrived to finish, but failed to hit the target.

In the ninth minute, Kaio César was brought down near the edge of the box. Garro lifted the ball into the area and the defense managed to clear it. On the rebound, Matheuzinho tried to finish the move, but sent the ball over Fábio’s goal.

Corinthians’ persistence almost paid off in the very next minute. After a Garro cross that was flicked on by Bidu, Gui Negão rose to head it and forced Fábio into a great save to prevent the equalizer.

Corinthians’ goal: in the 10th minute, Garro took the corner, Memphis tried to finish with a volley and the ball stayed alive inside the box. Gustavo Henrique pounced on the rebound and put it into the net, making it all square at Neo Química Arena.

The equalizer boosted Corinthians’ confidence, and they kept occupying the attacking half. In the 17th minute, Matheuzinho received a pass from Garro and sent in a low cross, but no player managed to arrive in time to redirect it toward goal.

Two minutes later, Timão had a great chance to turn the game around. Bidu was fouled on the left and Memphis stepped up to take it. The delivery was dangerous, but Fábio managed to get a touch and send it out for a corner. From the ensuing set piece, Fluminense’s defenders cleared again.

In the 22nd minute, Garro once again put the ball into the box from a free kick. Once more, the visiting defense had the upper hand and prevented the move from becoming a clear chance.

Corinthians kept pressing and created another opportunity in the 26th minute. Raniele received it on the right and delivered a cross. Matheuzinho managed to get a touch, but the ball went wide to the right of Fábio’s goal.

Fluminense tried to respond by using the space to break at speed. In one of those moves, Canobbio received the ball in an attacking position, but Bidu stepped in at exactly the right moment to make the tackle and stop the play from developing.

Fluminense’s second goal: in the 30th minute, Ganso started the counterattack with a long pass to Hulk after Garro lost the ball. The striker advanced to the edge of the box and shot. The ball took a deflection off Gustavo Henrique and wrong-footed Hugo Souza, who could not prevent the visitors’ second goal.

Five minutes later, Fernando Diniz made two more changes. Lingard and Pedro Raul came on for André and Memphis.

Right after the substitutions, Kaio César was fouled near the box. Garro took responsibility for the free kick, but went for goal directly and hit the wall.

Fluminense threatened again shortly after. Ganso found Riquelme in a good position, and the player was getting ready to shoot when Raniele appeared to cut out the move at the exact right moment.

In the 41st minute, Corinthians went back to set pieces. Garro sent a free kick into the box and, after a touch from Gustavo Henrique, Gui Negão tried to finish first time. The shot, however, went over the bar.

After that, Diniz made another substitution. Matheus Pereira replaced Breno Bidon for the final minutes.

Fluminense still had a dangerous chance in the 43rd minute. Martinelli carried the play forward and found Riquelme in a good position. The ball reached Serna, who was face-to-face with Hugo Souza, but the Corinthians goalkeeper came out on top and prevented the visitors from extending their lead.

In the 45th minute, Garro received the ball and tried a shot from outside the box, forcing Fábio into a good save to prevent a possible Corinthians equalizer.

Fluminense’s third goal: in the 47th minute, however, the Argentine lost the ball again in midfield and sparked another counterattack for the opposition. With a numerical advantage, the Rio side took their chance and sealed the win through Serna.

There was no time for anything else, and Corinthians left the field defeated under boos from the fans present at Neo Química Arena.

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