Corinthians boss on Ceará clash, eyes Brasileirão run-in

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Central do Timão

·10 novembre 2025

Corinthians boss on Ceará clash, eyes Brasileirão run-in

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians was defeated by Ceará 1-0 on the afternoon of this Sunday (9), at Neo Química Arena, in the 33rd round of the Brazilian Championship. With the result, the Alvinegro dropped to 13th position with 42 points (11 wins, nine draws, and 13 losses – 35 goals scored and 38 conceded).

Coach Dorival Júnior gave a press conference after the match and analyzed the game against the Ceará team. In his response, the coach mentioned a bit of the team's lack of calmness, as well as the low collective inspiration of the team. Despite this, the coach praised the performance of midfielder Dieguinho, 18 years old.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

“First, I think that, when you have the volume that we had, we should have had a bit more calmness. The calmness I refer to is the perception of how to work the ball, moments of infiltration, and unfortunately, that didn't happen. We weren't having an inspired day, and when there is no inspiration, it's natural. You want to do things by rushing through all the processes. It was indeed a very difficult day, with low, very concentrated marking. They were happy with the proposal they had.”

“It's very difficult sometimes to try to pinpoint one fact or another, but the truth is that today our inspiration was far below what we have done many times on our field. Perhaps it wasn't the correct understanding of the match, what it was providing us to be able to attack. Just one point to highlight is Dieguinho's performance, which made the difference. A participative, creative player, and if we had some lucid plays in our final third, it was largely due to this boy's participation,” he began.

Next, the Corinthians coach projected the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship. With only five rounds remaining, the Alvinegro still has three games at Neo Química Arena (São Paulo, Botafogo, Juventude) and two away (Cruzeiro and Fortaleza). At this moment, the team is in an intermediate zone on the table, with remote chances of securing a spot in the 2026 Libertadores through the national competition.

“We have to be aware that, in moments when we approach the possibility of a leap in the competition, we have to try to take advantage in another way. This is the great truth and reality. We have to understand that today, we all fell short and will need to improve for the next game,” he continued.

After the end of the Brasileirão, Corinthians will close the 2025 season in the Copa do Brasil, where they will face Cruzeiro in the semifinals, in two matches, on December 10 and 14. Dorival highlighted the need to finish the national competition positively, generating good expectations for the knockout tournament.

“I think the main challenge would be today. We have managed a result in front of our fans, something that wasn't possible. We are aware that we owe in this regard and we need to present a quick recovery, especially because we want to finish this competition in another way and generate a positive expectation for the next phase of the second competition, which will be the Copa do Brasil. I hope we have the strength, intelligence, and above all, the discernment to face this condition and recover because of what we saw today,” he continued.

Finally, the Corinthians coach responded if he intends to rotate the squad until the end of the Brazilian Championship, given the high number of absences due to injury or suspension in recent months. In his reasoning, Dorival considered the team's situation in the tournament.

“No, I don't think about this situation at all (controlling minutes). We have a championship that still requires all possible care. We will try to score in the best way. We are aware of what we have already left behind and the moments we had to make a leap in the competition. And in all of them, we were not competent for that. And we need to change this mindset, certainly seeking another condition within the Brazilian Championship,” he concluded.

After being defeated by Ceará, 1-0, in Itaquera, Corinthians is preparing for the team's next commitment, which will only be after the FIFA Date. On November 20, at 7 pm (Brasília time), Corinthians will host São Paulo at Neo Química Arena, for the 34th round of the Brasileirão.

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