Romero scores a volley and Corinthians debuts with victory at Paulista – 01/21/2024 – Sport

Corinthians debuted in the 2024 Campeonato Paulista with a victory over Guarani, this Sunday (21), 1-0, at the Neo Química Arena, in Itaquera.

Still without all the reinforcements hired by the board and with obvious deficiencies in some sectors, Mano Menezes’ team counted on a volley goal from Romero, in the 28th minute of the first half, to overcome the Campinas team.

The visitors also had chances to score against Cássio’s net, especially in the second half, when he hit a ball against the crossbar, after a header from Matheus Bueno, at the beginning of the final stage, when only the Guarani team created real scoring opportunities.

Despite the good defensive performance, offensively the home team had little creativity.

Mano Menezes’ team entered the field with three newcomers: left-back Hugo, defender Félix Torres and midfielder Raniele. Fellow left-back Palacios started the match on the bench, while defender Gustavo Henrique has not yet trained with the ball and midfielder Rodrigo Garro is awaiting his registration for the championship.

Of the debuting trio, the most difficult task was for Torres, who ended up being one of the highlights of the game, due to his good positioning. The Ecuadorian had been training among the reserves, but got a last-minute chance after Lucas Veríssimo decided to leave Corinthians on the eve of the State Championship. He transferred to Qatari club Al-Duhail.

In a statement released on Saturday (20), the club confirmed the transfer of the defender who was on loan to the team and with whom it had a verbal agreement since the beginning of this year for his permanent purchase. But, as the new contract was not signed before Paulista, Corinthians could do nothing to secure it.

“The club regrets, but respects the athlete’s decision. It is worth mentioning that there was a contract for his permanent stay ready for the player and his staff to sign [empresário Paulo Pitombeira] since January 4th. However, with the new proposal, he chose to pursue his career in the Asian country,” said Corinthians.

Veríssimo’s sudden departure changed the board’s planning, which intended to intensify its search to reinforce the team’s offensive sector and will now also have to look for a new defender.