Trophy, setbacks and a touchline change, inside Corinthians’ first half of 2026 | OneFootball

Corinthians closed the first half of 2026 with a 3-1 win at Grêmio, a spell defined by trophy, turbulence and a managerial change.

Per Meu Timao, the stretch blended Supercopa glory, Paulista frustration and a mid-season switch from Dorival Júnior to Fernando Diniz.

On 1 February in Brasília, Corinthians beat Flamengo to lift the Supercopa do Brasil, Gabriel Paulista and Yuri Alberto scoring.

The Paulista opened with a 3-0 win over Ponte Preta, but inconsistency led to a 1-0 Dérbi defeat to Palmeiras and a 1-0 semi-final exit at Novorizontino.

In the league, two early wins were followed by seven without victory, including a 2-0 home loss to Coritiba. A 1-0 home defeat to Internacional ended Dorival’s tenure after nine winless.

Diniz arrived and debuted with a 2-0 win at Platense in the Libertadores, then set a club record of six straight clean sheets before a 2-1 loss at Mirassol.

Corinthians topped Group E and, already qualified before a 2-0 loss to Platense, are in Pot 1 to face Rosario Central in the last 16.

They steadied before the World Cup pause, beating São Paulo 3-2 and Grêmio 3-1, with a 3-1 loss at Botafogo in between, to sit 10th.

Yuri Alberto wants a move to Europe and Memphis’s deal ends on 31 July, with a transfer ban linked to a 2024 José Martínez agreement adding pressure to retain talent.

The squad will reconvene for friendlies, with Cascavel on 12 July confirmed and further tests planned during a two-week player break.

Source: Meu Timao