Moroccan reaches feat not seen at Corinthians since January | OneFootball

On the night of last Sunday (24), Corinthians hosted Atlético-MG at Neo Química Arena in a match valid for the 17th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, and beat the Minas Gerais side 1-0. The three points lifted Alvinegro from 17th to 15th place in the national competition with 21 points — five wins, six draws, and six defeats — with 15 goals scored and 18 conceded.

Alvinegro’s goal was scored by attacking midfielder Zakaria Labyad in the 43rd minute of the second half, after a cross from right-back Matheuzinho. Wearing the No. 52 shirt, he struck first-time with his left foot and found the back of goalkeeper Everson’s net. In addition, the Moroccan became the first player in Timão’s squad to score in two consecutive matches for the first time since January.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Last Thursday (21), it is worth recalling, Labyad had scored the equalizer in the match against Peñarol-URU at Estádio Campeón Del Siglo, in the fifth round of the Conmebol Libertadores group stage. Previously, the last player to score in back-to-back matches was striker Yuri Alberto who, in January, found the net in the 1-1 draw with Santos at Vila Belmiro and in the 1-0 win over Velo Clube away from home.

Zakaria Labyad was signed by Corinthians at the end of February this year, following a recommendation from forward Memphis Depay, with whom he played in PSV’s youth setup in the Netherlands. Before arriving at Parque São Jorge, he played for Dalian Yingbo FC in China. There, he recorded 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 matches.

So far, he has made 12 appearances in a Corinthians shirt (one as a starter), with two goals and one assist — he has the third-most goals this year among Alvinegro’s current squad. In addition to his spell in Chinese football, he has also played for: PSV (Netherlands), Sporting (Portugal), Vitesse (Netherlands), Fulham (England), FC Utrecht (Netherlands), and Ajax (Netherlands).

Now, Corinthians turns its attention back to its priorities for the sixth and final round of the Conmebol Libertadores group stage. Next Wednesday (27), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, Timão will host Platense of Argentina, also at Neo Química Arena.

Already guaranteed a place in the round of 16 and leading Group E with 11 points — three wins and two draws, with eight goals scored and two conceded — Corinthians heads into the final round looking to secure the best overall record of the qualifying stage. If it does, it will be able to play all of its knockout matches at Itaquera through to the semifinal, since the final is played as a single match at a neutral venue.

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