Corinthians close Brasileirão with home draw against Juventude

Corinthians bid farewell to the Brazilian Championship this Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Juventude, in Itaquera, in the last round of the competition. Timão took the lead thanks to a fine goal from José Martínez, but ended up conceding the tie in the final minutes, thanks to a header from Negueba.

The first half was slow and few clear-cut chances. Juventude were in danger from a shot inside the area, but Angileri seemed to save well. Corinthians struggled to build plays in the middle and tried to explore the sides of the pitch to attack.

The best chance in black and white came from the feet of Talles Magno, who took a risk after receiving from deep, but whose shot was blocked. Then Romero tried to take advantage of Jandrei out of position, but he sent him over the top. Timão’s goal came in the 24th minute, when Kayke made a big move to the left, entered the box and cut back. Martínez came in with a strong strike from outside the box and scored a superb goal, with no chance for the keeper.

After the break, Corinthians started to create more, but squandered important chances. From the start of the second half, Talles Magno found himself face to face with the goalkeeper after a defensive failure and finished badly, missing a great opportunity to expand. Shortly after, in another decisive move, the striker chose to finish even with Romero free at his side. The move sparked a strong reaction from fans, who began criticizing the number 43 for not making the pass that could have resulted in a goal. The episode took on even more weight because it could have been Romero’s last match for Corinthians, which increased the frustration in the stands.

Even with the changes made by Dorival Júnior and the entry of Memphis Depay, Timão continued to make mistakes when completing plays. Kayke and Matheuzinho also had clear chances, but failed to convert their dominance into goals.

In the home stretch, Juventude grew and were rewarded for their insistence. In the 43rd minute, Marcelo Hermes advanced from the left and crossed towards Negueba, who won high and headed firmly, declaring the match a draw at the Neo Química Arena.

In stoppage time, Corinthians hit the post again and lost another clear chance, while Juventude responded with an unsuccessful counter-attack. The draw sealed the farewell to the Brasileirão for both teams.

With this result, Corinthians finish the competition in 13th place, with 47 points, guaranteeing a place in the 2026 South American Championship. Now, attention turns to the Copa do Brasil. Next Wednesday, at 9:30 p.m., in Mineirão, Timão will face Cruzeiro in the first leg of the semi-final.