Corinthians edge past Santa Fe-COL to seal top spot in Women's Libertadores

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Central do Timão

·09 de outubro de 2025

Corinthians edge past Santa Fe-COL to seal top spot in Women's Libertadores

By Fabio Luigi and Daniel Keppler / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the night of Wednesday, October 8, Corinthians faced Independiente Santa Fé at the Francisco Sola Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the third round of the group stage of the Conmebol Libertadores Feminina. In a tense match with many fouls, the Brabas scored in the first half with Gabi Zanotti and held the score, securing a 1-0 victory.

With the result, the team secured the leadership of Group A in the continental competition, finishing the campaign with seven points and a goal difference of 12, advancing to the knockout stage against Dragonas Independiente del Valle-COL, who finished second, also with seven points but a goal difference of six.

Vídeos OneFootball

Photo: Staff Images Woman/CONMEBOL

Corinthians' Lineup and Absences

For the match, the Brabas' technical staff could not count on forward Jaqueline, who is recovering from an injury. Therefore, coach Lucas Piccinato fielded the following team to start the match: Nicole; Thais Ferreira, Thais Regina, and Mariza; Gi Fernandes, Dayana Rodríguez (Duda Sampaio), Vic Albuquerque, Andressa Alves (Jhonson), and Tamires; Letícia Monteiro and Gabi Zanotti.

The bench had the following options: Lelê, Kemelli, Letícia Teles, Erika, Juliete, Duda Sampaio, Ivana Fuso, Gisela Robledo, Ariel Godoi, and Jhonson.

Santa Fé's Lineup

The Colombian team took the field with: Yessa Velásequez; María Carvajal, Andrea Pérez, Cristina Mota, and Viviana Acosta; Ortegón, Karen Hernández, Viancha, and Garavito; Viso and Zamorano.

Refereeing

The referee was Zulma Quiñonez, assisted by Nadia Welier and Nancy Fernandez. The fourth official and VAR were, respectively, Elizbeth Tintaya and Maria Laura Fortunato.

First Half

Santa Fe started the game with intense pressure in the attacking field, attempting long-distance shots and pressing Corinthians' ball exit. The effort resulted in an early corner, where Nicole cleared to the center of the area, Karla Vianchá shot first-time, and the Corinthians goalkeeper made a great save.

The Colombian team remained aggressive, with Zamorano stealing the ball in the offensive field and attempting from the midfield, but the ball went over the goal. Corinthians responded in the 12th minute when Dayana Rodríguez broke through on the left, dribbled past her opponent, and crossed. Andressa Alves headed the ball, forcing goalkeeper Velázquez to save and concede a corner.

From the corner, the alvinegro goal came: Andressa Alves took the corner at the near post, Gabi Zanotti got ahead of the defense and headed in to open the scoring: Corinthians 1 x 0!

Santa Fe almost equalized shortly after, with Maria Carvajal winning in the air after a foul and Viso slightly deflecting, but the ball went just wide of the post. Shortly after, Gi Fernandes advanced on the right and crossed, with Velázquez intercepting and preventing the Brabas' finish. Then, Gabi Zanotti headed firmly after a cross from Andressa Alves, requiring another save from the Colombian goalkeeper.

The opposing team tired, allowing Timão to better control possession at the end of the first half, creating good chances to extend the lead with Dayana Rodríguez and Letícia Monteiro – however, the goal did not come, and the score remained with a minimal advantage for Corinthians.

Second Half

The second half began with Corinthians struggling to maintain possession. Independiente Santa Fe, on the other hand, took every opportunity to send balls into the area defended by Nicole. The Colombian pressure continued with Garavito shooting, but Tamires deflected it for a corner. Thaís Regina eventually cleared another ball sent into the area, halting the Colombian blitz.

The Brabas responded when Andressa Alves found Letícia Monteiro free in the area. The player controlled the ball, but the defense quickly regrouped, with Pérez stepping in to make the tackle. After this moment of pressure, Corinthians began to have more possession.

In the 27th minute, coach Lucas Piccinato made his first substitution, bringing on Duda Sampaio and Jhonson in place of Dayana Rodríguez and Andressa Alves – both cautioned with yellow cards during the match.

The most dangerous play of the second half occurred in the 32nd minute when Maria Carvajal won in the air and headed firmly, but Mariza cleared it off the line. Referee Zulma Quiñónez initially validated the goal, but after a VAR review, the play was annulled because the ball did not completely cross the line.

After the stoppage, Tamires had a clear opportunity to score the second. Vic Albuquerque crossed from the right, Letícia Monteiro backheeled, and Tamires, face to face with the goalkeeper, had her shot blocked by Velázquez.

In the final minutes, Piccinato made another double substitution: Gisela Robledo and Juliete came on for Gi Fernandes and Tamires. In her first play, the left-back crossed into the area, and Acosta nearly scored an own goal. Finally, in a last attack, Viso dribbled past Thaís Ferreira and found Osorio, who shot powerfully against the crossbar. Thus, the match ended with a 1-0 victory for Corinthians.

Next Commitment

Now, Corinthians returns to the Nuevo Francisco Urbano Stadium in Morón to play the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. The match will take place next Saturday, the 11th, against Boca Juniors-ARG, at a time yet to be determined.

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