“We’re sad about the result, but our team was magnificent on the pitch and fought until the end.”
Tamires could not have summed up the feeling in the mixed zone among the SC Corinthians players after the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026™ final any better. The Brazilians lost to Arsenal Women FC, but came back twice, notably thanks to a penalty converted in the 96th minute, before succumbing to a goal from Caitlin Foord in extra time.
“I am very proud of the whole team for everything we have achieved in this tournament, for all the barriers we have broken down and for this second place”, continued the defender. “Now we have to keep working and fighting, because this is only the beginning. It was the first edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and we still have a lot ahead of us. We have a whole year ahead of us to show even more of Corinthians’ strength. I am very proud of everything we have achieved here.”
In her comments, the experienced 38-year-old Brazilian international refers not only to the narrow defeat to the European champions, but also to the hard-fought semi-final victory over North American titans Gotham FC.
And yet Lucas Piccinato’s protégés are not really used to losing. Timão, for example, have won the CONMEBOL Libertadores six times in the last nine seasons and seven Campeonato Brasileiro titles out of eight.
“We work very hard to win every final we play”, added Victoria, who scored the equalising penalty in added time in the second half to send the two teams into extra time. “We’re not satisfied with the result, but we’ll redouble our efforts to come back here in the coming years and win the title. I’m proud of the whole team, all the work we’ve done and the way we fought until the end. I’m sure that next time, the result will be different.”
Goalkeeper Lele, who was outstanding against Gotham in the semi-final and against Arsenal in the decider, was also positive about the future. “It’s not so much a feeling of sadness, because we’ve achieved something huge here against one of the best teams in the world. We gave them a hard time, we had many chances to win the match, but unfortunately football is played on details. Today, they were the ones who came out on top.”
The pride in their achievement was evident in the conversations FIFA had with the players after the match. The coach, however, expressed a different sentiment.
“Now, 30 minutes after the final whistle, we are frustrated that we didn’t beat the European champions”, explained coach Lucas Piccinato in the post-match press conference. “But tomorrow, we will be proud.
“Part of the reason we’re so frustrated right now is because of the fans. They came to the stadium, and you could see that the ‘fiels’ (loyal fans) were singing non-stop. We wanted to give them their dream, but unfortunately, it wasn’t possible. Playing here was a magical moment. We will keep this moment in our hearts forever. We are very grateful for this week here.”
Lele also had a message for the fans, who turned out in large numbers at both Brentford Stadium for the semi-final and Arsenal Stadium for the showpiece. “Thank you for your support”, she said. “We will do everything we can to ensure that Corinthians participates in major competitions like this one. God willing, next time, maybe we will win the title.”
