Back in September, Corinthians made a great effort to convince Memphis Depay, who packed his bags for Brazil after his contract with Atlético de Madrid ended. During these months, his presence has caused a stir. However, at the crucial moment, he could not help Corinthians complete the comeback against Barcelona SC to secure a spot in the Copa Libertadores.

“We worked hard to be in the Libertadores”

Memphis Depay, like all his teammates at Corinthians, did everything possible to try to overturn the 3-0 from the first leg. However, even though he participated in the late goal by André Carrillo that gave hope to the fans present at the Neo Química Arena in São Paulo, it was not enough to score the third goal that would have tied the series.

Disappointment was felt in the streets of São Paulo as the referee blew the final whistle, and Memphis Depay, as a key figure for Corinthians, took responsibility: “What I can do is thank the fans. We worked hard to be in the Libertadores last season, but we didn’t finish the job.”

Corinthians' coach defends Depay

In the same vein, Ramón Díaz, the coach of Corinthians, didn’t hesitate to defend Memphis: “He is a key player in what Corinthians is doing. The team is evolving and they are happy with Memphis. Today it hurts not to have progressed, but the team gave it everything knowing we have an important match on Sunday.”

For Corinthians, it is clearly a disappointment to drop to the Copa Sudamericana for the second consecutive season. However, they must bounce back as quickly as possible because, as Ramón Díaz said, the next challenge is to try to win the Campeonato Paulista against Palmeiras... before starting the most intense edition of the Brasileirão in recent memory.