📹 Diniz’s Libertadores debut, Corinthians win in Argentina

📹 Diniz’s Libertadores debut, Corinthians win in Argentina

In Argentina, Corinthians beat Platense 2-0 this Thursday (9) in the opening round of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores.

The match not only marked Timão’s debut in the continental tournament, where they are looking to repeat the glory of 2012, but also the first game under head coach Fernando Diniz.

And before talking about the match itself, it is worth noting that Argentine Ramón Díaz, former Corinthians head coach, was at Estadio Ciudad de Vicente López to watch the game.

⚽ The match

The first half was frightening for the Fiel Torcida.

Corinthians managed just one shot on target, already in stoppage time, and saw Hugo Souza pull off a miracle save to deny Lencina’s header.

After the break, however, everything changed for Timão.

And the name of the second half was Rodrigo Garro.

The Argentine midfielder provided a beautiful assist for youngster Kayke to open the scoring for Corinthians.

The 21-year-old forward, one of the "Crias do Terrão," is Fernando Diniz’s first big bet, after identifying the need for a winger in the team.

Shortly after Hugo Souza made another great save, on another header from the Argentine side, Garro played the ball into the box for Yuri Alberto to double the lead.

Finally, when Saborido was sent off for stomping on Matheus Bidu’s ankle, Corinthians’ victory became merely a matter of letting the clock run down until the final whistle.

🚦 Standings

The away win puts Corinthians at the top of Group E, which also includes Santa Fe vs. Peñarol in Colombia, with the match expected to end in the early hours of the morning in Brazil.

Timão return to action next Sunday (12), when they face Palmeiras in the derby at Neo Química Arena in the 11th round of the Brasileirão.

📅 Timão’s schedule in the group stage

• Matchday 2 - 15/04 - Corinthians vs. Santa Fe
• Matchday 3 - 30/04 - Corinthians vs. Peñarol
• Matchday 4 - 06/05 - Santa Fe vs. Corinthians
• Matchday 5 - 21/05 - Peñarol vs. Corinthians
• Matchday 6 - 27/05 - Corinthians vs. Platense

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