Corinthians lack spark, crash out of Copa do Brasil | OneFootball

Unlike the match against Portuguesa, when they found a goal in stoppage time and were saved in the penalty shootout, this time Corinthians did not escape elimination from the Campeonato Paulista. Last Saturday, Timão played poorly and had a night with very little inspiration in their 1-0 defeat to Novorizontino at the Dr. Jorge Ismael de Biasi Stadium, in the semifinal of the State Championship.

Just like in the quarterfinals, Corinthians played a bad game, couldn’t find themselves, and fell behind on the scoreboard. Against Portuguesa, however, the team had more time to try to find solutions and responded, even if it was at the last minute. But last Saturday, that wasn’t the case. With their players having a technically very poor night, the Alvinegro repeated the bad performance from the previous game, but couldn’t achieve the same happy ending against a very organized Novorizontino.

How was the match?

Coach Dorival Júnior bet on tactical changes for the Paulista semifinal. The Corinthians coach packed the midfield with three defensive midfielders, with Raniele dropping back to help bring the ball out from the back, and gave more freedom to the two attacking midfielders: Garro and Breno Bidon. Memphis Depay, in turn, took the field as the sole center forward, a role similar to the one he plays for the Dutch national team.

Corinthians started with more possession and even advanced well into the attacking third, looking for spaces especially down the flanks. With three defenders bringing the ball out, Matheuzinho and Matheus Bidu became wing-backs and were heavily involved in the first ten minutes of the game. However, since it was a semifinal, what we saw were two very cautious teams at the start of the match.

After 15 minutes of control, Corinthians let Novorizontino grow into the game, making many passing errors and giving possession to their rival on counterattacks, suffering two consecutive scares. Timão’s ball circulation was very slow and they seemed unsure of what to do with possession, stalling due to the lack of inspiration from Garro, Bidon, and Memphis. The Alvinegro team struggled to find solutions.

Closer to the end of the first half, Dorival made a change in the build-up, putting Allan as a third center-back and leaving Raniele in front of the defense. The alternative had an effect, especially in the movement of the midfielders and forwards. Corinthians improved again and, after switching play, almost took advantage of the space in Novorizontino’s defense to score.

Even so, Dorival Júnior’s team’s first half, overall, was not good. Corinthians couldn’t find alternatives to solve the difficulties caused by Novorizontino’s strong marking and still suffered some scares from dangerous attacks by the rival.

Second half

As usual, Corinthians came back from halftime with no changes. Even so, the team seemed to return with new energy, determined to break the deadlock. In the first few minutes, the Alvinegro created three good chances: one from a run by Bidon behind Novorizontino’s defenders, one from a long-range shot by Memphis, and another from a good passing sequence with Garro, Memphis, and Matheuzinho.

Around the 15th minute, with the score still 0-0, Dorival finally made a change. The coach took off a defensive midfielder to bring on Vitinho, giving the Alvinegro attack more firepower. However, despite regaining possession, Timão was not very effective and continued to make many passing errors. Then, after a marking mistake and general lack of attention in defense, Corinthians fell behind on the scoreboard.

From then on, the Alvinegro went all out. Pedro Raul and Dieguinho were brought on around the 35th minute to try something different, but couldn’t help. The last substitutions still showed Timão’s desperation, as they piled on attackers with the entry of Gui Negão. However, the team’s disorganization in the final minutes was clear. When the team needed to chase the score, it was already too late.

Being knocked out in the Paulista semifinal is obviously bad. No one wants to be eliminated from a tournament when you’re so close to the final. Still, it could be worse. But let it be clear: if Corinthians doesn’t regain consistency, they will go through the same ups and downs as last season.

Now, Corinthians will need to pick up the pieces and refocus on the Brazilian Championship. Timão will have just over a week of rest, as they return to the field only on March 11, when they face Coritiba at Neo Química Arena.

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