With the suffering so appreciated by their fans, Corinthians advanced this Wednesday (28) to the decision of the first FIFA Women’s Champions Cup. The black and white team withstood enormous pressure from Gotham FC, from the United States, and reached a 1-0 victory with a goal from their big name, Gabi Zanotti, in the final stretch of the match.
The duel was held in London, home of the Corinthian Football Club, the team that served as inspiration for the workers who founded the Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, in 1910. And the black and white fans were present in good numbers at the Gtech Community Stadium, in the west of the English capital, performing their traditional “poropopó”.
Singing while hugging each other, the fans helped their athletes on a very difficult journey against Gotham, who dominated the action for most of the game. And they celebrated Zanotti’s goal in the 38th minute of the second half, which defeated the champions of the powerful North American league and the continental championship of Central and North America.
Organized by FIFA (International Football Federation), the women’s Champions Cup follows the model of the men’s Intercontinental Cup, which has a representative from each continent. Dominant in South America, the six-time champions of the Copa Libertadores showed that they can compete with the powerhouses of the sport.
The decision is scheduled for Sunday (1st), at 3pm (Brasília time), at Emirates Stadium, with capacity for more than 60 thousand spectators. The opponent will be defined this Wednesday, in the clash between Arsenal, from England, European champion, and AS FAR, from Morocco, African champion.
The match against Gotham started at a fast pace, with North American pressure. Corinthians had enormous difficulty leaving the field of defense and suffered from the advanced pressing of their rival, who created good opportunities in the first 20 minutes. In one of them, goalkeeper Lelê missed a pass, and Savannah McCaskill, free in the area, shot very poorly.
Little by little, however, the black and white team settled down on the field. He did not control possession of the ball, but when he controlled it in the attacking field, he created highly dangerous moves, especially with Jaqueline on the right and Belén Aquino on the left. In a ball stolen by Aquino, Andressa Alves received it from Gabi Zanotti and only didn’t score because it was blocked at the last moment.
After the break, the scenario from the initial stage was repeated, with Gotham dominating and problems at the black and white exit. The North American team came very close to scoring in the eighth minute, when Midge Purce took advantage of Tamires and crossed low. Katie Stengel, in the small area, took a bad deflection.
Unlike what happened in the first half, Corinthians did not balance their actions after the pressure of the first minutes. Not even the changes made by coach Lucas Piccinato changed the pressure scenario of the United States team, who remained in attack the entire time, although they had difficulty finishing.
At 38, however, the black and white team managed a rare escape, with a clever pass from Gabi Zanotti to Ivana Fuso. The ball ended up reaching Tamires, who crossed. The defense failed, and Zanotti dominated on the chest, before finishing with his left foot. It wasn’t an unstoppable shot, but Ann-Katrin Berger couldn’t handle it.
From then on, Corinthians closed down once and for all and resisted as best they could. The confused Swedish referee Tess Olofsson drove the black and white team crazy with an inexplicable 13 minutes of added time. She even whistled at 53, as she had promised eight extra minutes. So, he took the ball and announced that there would be two more, for medical attention. And there were five more.
In the last move, Tamires had to commit Khyah Harper one step away from the area – in the complaint, assistant Breno Basso was sent off. Jaedyn Shaw knocked it out, and Fiel could finally explode with qualification for the grand final, which has everything to be an even greater challenge, probably against Arsenal, at Arsenal’s home ground.
