And Gabi Zanotti came through!
Nothing seems able to impede the 40-year-old SC Corinthians icon. Yet no one would blame her for slowing down, having won everything since returning to Brazilian football in 2018: the Campeonato Brasileiro seven times, the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores five times, the Campeonato Paulista four times and the Supercopa do Brasil three times.
It was the Timão’s latest continental conquest that led her to the feat she achieved on Wednesday at Brentford Stadium. Defeating Deportivo Cali in the Libertadores showpiece last October qualified Zanotti and Co for the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026™ and booked their bout with Concacaf champions Gotham FC in the semi-finals.
And it was in that historic clash where Zanotti sealed the deal for her team by scoring the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute, smashing home from the edge of the area to spark wild celebrations. The decider will take place on Sunday 1 February at Arsenal Stadium against either European champions Arsenal or African title-holders ASFAR of Morocco.
“I joined Corinthians in 2018 and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time”, Zanotti said modestly after the match. “Today, I was lucky, the ball fell to me. But I want to emphasise the collective work we did today. There’s nothing individual about it, it’s always a collective effort. You have to defend first; if you want to win, you have to make sure you have a solid defence.”
While the attacking midfielder prefers to shine the spotlight on others, Tamires, who provided the assist on Wednesday, believes that the goal was a just reward for her team-mate.
“She deserves [the goal] so much”, the 38-year-old defender told FIFA. “Everything she has achieved here at Corinthians, everything she has built, as a disciplined athlete who works hard every day. Her daily routine shows why she still plays at such a high level, continues to do what she does and is so decisive for Corinthians. So I’m very happy for her and also very happy to have been able to help her.”
The two women who combined to score the winning goal are the oldest players in the competition, alongside ASFAR’s 39-year-old stalwart Aziza Rabbah. And the Brazilians know that this experience was crucial in a match that remained undecided until the very end.
“Our experience was very important because we knew they were very strong on the wings, that their pace was very good, and we had to neutralise their attacks”, Tamires continued. “We managed to take away their depth, and that happens when you’re able to read the game [thanks to your experience]. We played with a lot of courage, a lot of determination, with the Corinthians spirit, to be honest. That made all the difference.”
The ‘Corinthians spirit’ was indeed reflected in their strong determination throughout the match. Perhaps they had been stung before this semi-final?
“I think people on the outside didn’t really believe in us”, Ana Vitoria stated. “So it’s pretty nice to be able to prove that we’re here to perform and that we’re not going to let victory slip away like that. I read somewhere that the prediction for this match was 3-0 to Gotham. We all saw that and we said to ourselves that we were going to make those people think twice, even though, honestly, I don’t think the Gotham players saw it that way. They knew it would be a difficult match. And it’s true, it was a very good match to watch, a very good match to play. And matches like that are good for women’s football.”
“We’re so happy to be in the final, it’s very important for the club and for us personally”, concluded goalkeeper Lele. “When people talk a lot without knowing us, without knowing the importance of Corinthians in America, it gives us extra motivation on the pitch. We’ve shown that SC Corinthians is also a very big club.”
A very big club with immeasurable experience that will inevitably serve it well in Sunday’s final.
