Depay wins first prize in Brazil: Corinthians beat rivals in São Paulo state championship final | OneFootball

Memphis Depay won his first prize as a Corinthians player last night, as a 0-0 draw against arch-rivals Palmeiras proved enough to win the title in the São Paulo state championship. This draw followed the first leg’s decisive 1-0 win a week and a half ago.

The Campeonato Paulista is a short competition between January and the end of March in which 16 teams compete for the title. It was Corinthians’ first state title since 2019 and the 31st in total.

At home at the Neo Quimica Arena, the São Paulo city derby grew into a trademark heated duel. In the 74th minute, Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga looked ready to level the aggregate scoreline from the penalty spot, only for goalkeeper Hugo Souza to come up with a great save.

A few minutes later, Corinthians had to make do with one man less after a red card for Félix Torres. This came in addition to an eventual 11 yellow cards and four red cards over the two legs.

The striker of Oranje played an important role in two of the three red cards, as his gamesmanship sparked scuffling and two players receiving their marching orders.

After a whopping 18 minutes of injury time, the final whistle sounded and enabled Depay to lift his first cup as a Corinthians player. It is his first prize with the club since joining in September last year.

The national competition starts next weekend. Depay and his team will open with an away match against Bahia on Sunday.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield