Corinthians secured their place in the semifinals of the Copa Sul-Americana with a commanding 3-0 victory over Fortaleza. Memphis Depay, who played just over 30 minutes, left a positive impression. Both teams rested key players ahead of upcoming matches in the Brasileirão, with Corinthians’ coach Ramón Díaz opting to keep Fagner, Matheus Bidu, Charles, and Rodrigo Garro on the bench, while Fortaleza’s Vojvoda did the same with Titi, Kuscevic, Hércules, and others.
The Timão will face either Athletico or Racing in the semifinals, as Athletico takes a 1-0 lead into their second leg. Corinthians will also prepare for a key league match against São Paulo, while Fortaleza, currently third in the Brasileirão, turns its focus to the title race.
In the first half, both teams struggled to create clear chances. The best opportunity came at the 11-minute mark when Yuri Alberto pressured Cardona, leading to a shot by Igor Coronado, which was saved by João Ricardo. Zé Welison also forced a save from Hugo Souza two minutes later, but the half ended scoreless.
The second half saw Corinthians take control. Fortaleza’s early pressure failed to yield a goal, and a beautiful play from Yuri Alberto to Romero led to the opening goal. Minutes later, Igor Coronado scored on a rebound, extending the lead to 2-0. The final nail came at the 36th minute, with Memphis Depay assisting Pedro Henrique for the third goal.
Despite a disallowed goal from Breno Lopes due to offside, Fortaleza could not recover, and the match ended in a 3-0 victory for Corinthians.