Dorival warns after Corinthians win, rues possible injury to Matheuzinho | OneFootball

Dorival Júnior appreciated the 1-0 victory of Corinthians over Athletico-PR, this Wednesday, at Ligga Arena, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil. The coach praised the team's performance but issued a warning for the return match of the clash.

The coach approved the scheme with three defenders adopted by the team still at the end of the first half. He sees the result as important, but warns that the competition is "treacherous".

"Many say that with three defenders the team becomes defensive. On the contrary. We gained offense, we advanced our marking and found our goal. It was fundamental, important. We had a drop after, especially in the physical aspect, much because of the last match we played. We already imagined that we would have problems. Athletico came on top and we had the competence to neutralize most situations, with the exception of a header defended by Hugo, which gave us the possibility of an important result", evaluated the commander.

"It's just the first game. I know how treacherous this type of competition is. We need to be alert to any kind of situation", he added.

On the other hand, the coach showed concern about a possible injury to Matheuzinho. The player left the field in the second half with pain in the back of his right thigh and, given the absence of options for the sector, was replaced by the improvised Félix Torres. Dorival regretted the situation.

"It worries a lot. We are losing practically one athlete every week. This has made it difficult, even because we found a way to play, the team is growing. It will make us miss a lot if it is confirmed [the injury]. But, we have to seek solutions as we have been doing every round. It's a pity, because this team could be in other conditions in the Brasileirão if we had all the players available", he lamented.

With a transfer ban, Corinthians can't even go to the market to reinforce the position. Dorival again mentioned the need for signings, but said he will continue working with what he has at hand in search of solutions.

"We have needs, we are waiting for the solution to the problem [transfer ban]. It's complex, it's not simple. We need, everyone is seeing that we need elements for some functions. I have to wait and continue working with what I have, valuing each one of them", he concluded.

With the 1-0 victory, Corinthians only needs a draw in the return to advance to the next phase. A loss by one goal difference takes the clash to penalties, while a defeat by two or more goals eliminates the Paulistas. The winner of the clash faces Cruzeiro or Atlético-MG in the semifinals.

The second meeting with Athletico-PR is scheduled for September 10, also at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena.

Before that, Corinthians has nothing less than a Derby ahead. Dorival Júnior's team hosts Palmeiras this Sunday, in Itaquera, for the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. The classic will start at 6:30 pm.

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