Corinthians secured a crucial victory this Thursday in the Copa Sudamericana, edging Racing de Montevideo by a single goal thanks to a decisive strike from Paraguayan forward Ángel Romero, who stole the spotlight at the Neo Química Arena in São Paulo. The result keeps the Brazilian side in the race for qualification in Group C.

The win came amid a turbulent week for the Timão, who had recently parted ways with head coach Ramón Díaz. Taking over on an interim basis, Orlando Ribeiro de Oliveira made his debut from the sidelines and guided his team to a much-needed triumph.

Things didn’t start smoothly for the hosts. Racing, under the direction of Cristian Chambian, put Corinthians under pressure early on. The situation worsened when defender Félix Torres was shown a red card in the 15th minute for a reckless tackle, leaving the home team a man down.

Ángel Romero revives the Timão

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Corinthians found their rhythm and began to dominate. Dutch star Memphis Depay stepped up as the emotional and tactical leader, orchestrating plays and energizing his teammates.

The breakthrough came in the second half, when Ángel Romero found the net in the 52nd minute after a corner kick. His goal not only put Corinthians ahead, but also symbolized a much-needed emotional resurgence for a team that had been struggling in the tournament.

Following this result, Group C is heating up. Huracán remains on top with 7 points, followed by América de Cali with 5. Corinthians now has 4, while Racing stays at the bottom without a single point and is virtually eliminated.

The next round of fixtures will be decisive. Corinthians will host América de Cali on May 6 in what could be a turning point for their campaign, while Racing will look for their first win at home against Huracán on May 8.

With Romero back among the goals and the team showing grit even with 10 men, Corinthians have found a renewed sense of belief.