Corinthians Women’s coach eyes final, hails fans, weighs favourites | OneFootball

In front of nearly eight thousand fans at Canindé, Corinthians drew 2-2 with São Paulo on the morning of this Sunday, the 31st, in the second leg of the Women's Brazilian Championship. With the result, the Brabas qualified for the tournament's final, where they will face Cruzeiro, and also secured a spot in the next Copa Libertadores in 2026.

After the match, coach Lucas Piccinato addressed the press in a press conference, where he analyzed the opponent for the grand final. “Cruzeiro is a team that, even since last season, has been giving us a lot of trouble. I think Cruzeiro's project has solidified in the scene. These will be two very big games. We will prepare well to understand the game. The dust hasn't even settled yet from the game against São Paulo, I haven't thought much about what we are going to plan. Starting tomorrow, 100% focus”, he said.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

He continued, talking about the importance of a club from another state reaching the Brasileirão final: “We are very pleased to have a club outside the axis investing and building a competitive team. I think it's not something unprecedented. In 2022, Internacional already reached a Brazilian final, competing at a high level, drawing a huge crowd at Beira-Rio. I'm very pleased that other states are starting to change their mindset about this.”

Piccinato recalled his work at Internacional itself, where he reached a Copa Libertadores semifinal. “I know how complex and complicated it is to do women's football outside São Paulo because you don't have the competitiveness of strong games throughout the season. This is changing. The calendar is bringing more national competitions. But I'm happy. Happy for Jonas's work, who is a great coach, but I hope he has a terrible final”, he added, jokingly.

For the coach, any favoritism of Corinthians in the final needs to remain on paper to avoid surprises against Cruzeiro: “If we don't enter the game well, Cruzeiro can easily beat us, as they have in other moments. (The group) doesn't care if it's a favorite or not, they go in there and want to solve the problem and win. So, for us, it doesn't matter much.”

He emphasized the importance of the team's leadership in the team's growth in the second half, highlighting the unbeaten streak of eight games. “It has a lot to do with the leadership, understanding the moment and pushing forward to seek important victories. We are on a very good streak, right? Eight games without losing, three qualifications in knockout stages. And we hope to have two good finals and come out with the title”, he declared.

Finally, Piccinato spoke about the pressure he still faces in the position, coming from the fans, especially on social media. “(It's) Because I'm in a position that was previously occupied by someone who won absolutely everything, and we've talked a lot about this. It's very calm because I know what the responsibility is, and I know that I can make a sequence that maybe won't reach the ceiling that was left. Previous work was even magical, something that transcends me”, he pondered.

He completed the response by reaffirming confidence in his own work and valuing the role of the fans in supporting the Brabas at all times: “We always highlight because the Corinthians fan makes a big difference, and being upset with me or whoever is in charge is a natural thing. The fan has never stopped supporting, never stopped coming here and doing their best. I keep working with a very good mindset, knowing where the team can go. I hope we finish this Brazilian well with the title.”

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