Corinthians boss hails Libertadores win, comments on renewals

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Central do Timão

·19 de outubro de 2025

Corinthians boss hails Libertadores win, comments on renewals

By Daniel Keppler / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Coach Lucas Piccinato, of Corinthians Women, expected a very tough final in the Women’s Copa Libertadores – the Brabas secured their sixth championship this Saturday, the 18th, by beating Deportivo Cali-COL on penalties 5 x 3 after a goalless draw in regular time. He explained his opinion in an interview after the end of the final:

“We expected a very complex final, a very tough opponent, and that’s what happened. I don’t think we played a good game today, as I’ve said before, this team is mentally shielded against all possibilities and managed, even in a bad match, to find a way to become champions. So, I’m very happy about that, credit to Cali for making it this far and playing a great game, they eliminated great teams and it was a great final, happy to come away with the title once again.”

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Photo: Staff Images Woman/CONMEBOL

He continued, talking about his feelings regarding the title: “Wonderful joy, because only those who live the day-to-day know how heavy it is to wear this shirt, but also how wonderful it is to wear this shirt. Obviously, a moment like this is to celebrate the work, the dedication, the daily grind that is difficult, but we try to give our best. I am very happy for the achievement, for the fruits of all our work, this group really deserved this Libertadores, really deserved it.”

He went on, sharing a behind-the-scenes story. “Back in Santana do Parnaíba, when we were eliminated from the Copa do Brasil, we went together to the Libertadores. Even in a painful and difficult moment, the group was always together, always fully bought into the idea. And we really deserved this, I really deserve this too, because I work my ass off. I know how hard it is, but I have my quality and I’m here to be a two-time champion of the Americas, which is not easy. Few have managed that,” he vented.

At another point, he spoke about the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup: “Our year was built with this in mind. From the moment we started preseason, we planned an international trip thinking about facing teams we might meet in the possible World Cup. All our efforts this season were aimed at this moment, very happy to achieve this possibility.” he said.

Piccinato continued, highlighting the difficulty of winning the Libertadores: “Every time you compete, you feel firsthand how tough, complicated, and complex the Libertadores is. Today, we didn’t play a good match, Cali’s team bothered us a lot, just as they did in the semifinals and quarterfinals.”

The alvinegro coach praised the mentality of his athletes: “They prepare themselves in such a way that, even in a game where we weren’t at our best, we managed to go into the penalties with confidence to take the shots. Credit to the group, the players who came on, those on the bench, the staff, the management, everyone, because winning the Libertadores three times in a row is very difficult and today we made history here, besides winning we are going to the World Cup.”

Asked about the decisive penalty shootout, Piccinato said he was sure of Corinthians’ victory. “Because Nicole is an amazing goalkeeper and I was sure we would win on penalties, because everyone takes them very well. What happened with Jaque in the previous round, when she missed, was just bad luck because she’s one of the best at it. The feeling in the group, everyone felt that, no matter what, we would come out champions today, so the confidence was very high today.” he said.

Finally, he gave his opinion on whether Corinthians’ presence in the World Cup makes contract renewal talks easier: “A little, but there are many issues. Financial issues, career issues, athletes who have reached their peak and, like it or not, will want to seek a new moment, a new situation, as happened last season. But I think it helps, because everyone will want to be there and compete against teams from all continents and make history, as this team knows how to make history.”

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