"We were our own villains" says Hugo Souza after qualifying

After Corinthians qualified for the next phase of the Pre-Libertadores, goalkeeper Hugo Souza and Dutch striker Memphis pointed out some of the team's mistakes in these two knockout matches, highlighting mainly the team's reckless way of playing in front of the loyal fans.

"We need to minimize our impetus. The desire is good, but when it goes too far we end up sinning, we need to know how to balance our emotions", said the goalkeeper after the victory. Corinthians was considered the favorite to advance to the next stage, but did not expect to have so many difficulties in the two games. In Venezuela, an apathetic performance irritated the fans and now at the Neo Química Arena, the excess of impetus resulted in unusual mistakes for the quality of the team. Memphis was also another player to comment on how the team handled today's game, in a tone of venting the striker showed considerable dissatisfaction with the football presented that night.

Hugo Souza took responsibility for the second goal, admitting his own mistake: "We made our lives difficult, it was our fault. I take responsibility for many mistakes and errors, including mine." The goalkeeper was the captain in today's game and seemed irritated at times with the space provided by his own team. At the end of the interview, Hugo Souza commented again on Corinthians having made their lives difficult and hopes not to repeat the mistakes again: "A victory that was typical of Corinthians, a goal at the end, but we are going to work hard so that we are not our own villains. If there is a lesson to be learned from these two games, it is that we were our own villains."

Corinthians will now face Barcelona-EQU next Wednesday. If they beat the Ecuadorians, they will secure a spot in the group stage of the Libertadores. Meanwhile, Corinthians will return to the field this Sunday at 6:30 pm for the Campeonato Paulista to face Mirassol in the quarter-finals at the Neo Química Arena.