Corinthians defeated Sport 2-1 in the sixth round of the Brazilian Championship on Thursday night at Neo Qumica Arena, putting up a strong performance. Timao won courtesy of an own goal by Iago Maidana just before halftime and a Jô goal in the second half. For the visitors, Tréllez scored the only goal.
The hosts had entire control over the game. The Lion drew few reactions in the last stretch of the game and scored a goal.
It was too late for a comeback or an equalizer, despite their resolve. For Corinthians, it saw them return to winning ways after four games without victory.
Gustavo Mosquito scored after three minutes for Corinthians. The goal was overturned after a VAR review because Timon’s forward was declared offside. That didn’t stop the home team from giving it their all. They had three chances to score, one of which was a fantastic strike from Jô. The Lion, on the other hand, found it difficult to put together a cohesive attack.
To make matters worse on the pitch, Sport lost Thiago Lopes, who was replaced by Betinho due to injury. The substitution helped matters for the visitors, who improved in attack and had their best moment with a powerful outside-the-area attempt from Betinho, which Cassio saved brilliantly.
Iago Maidana slammed the ball in the back of his own net to give Timao the lead just before the break.
After the break, Sport made more changes to the line-up, bringing in Thiago Neves and Patric. But it was the visitors who scored the game’s second goal seven minutes later. Mateus Vital’s corner kick was deflected by Gil, and Jô scored to make it 2-0.
As the game progressed, Timon was far closer to scoring a third goal than Leo was to scoring a goal. After a well-crafted play by the Sao Paulo attack, Jô hit the post again in the 70th minute. Betinho attempted a long-range shot in the 75th minute, as he had done in the first half, but the ball went awry.
Sport persevered in the face of adversity, and was able to initiate a reaction after 82 minutes. After a cross from Patric, Tréllez scored to make it 2-1. Minutes later, though, they were unable to equalize. The game ended with a score of 2-1.
Next Sunday, the two squads will compete in the Brazilian Championship. Corinthians takes on Fluminense at Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro while Sport hosts Cuiabá on Ilha do Retiro in Recife.
