Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Gotham FC lost 1-0 to Brazilian side Corinthians on Wednesday at Brentford Stadium in the first round of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
The CONMEBOL champions broke the stalemate in the 83rd minute with a goal from 40-year-old Corinthians captain Gabi Zanotti. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger got her hands on the ball but couldn’t make the save.
Meanwhile, Gotham never managed to convert despite controlling 68.4% of possession and having 20 shots to Corinthians’ nine. But only one of those attempts were on target, and none found the back of the net.
“The team did really well in every aspect apart from scoring goals,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said postgame. “I think we dominated. We prepared the whole month for this, and unfortunately today we weren’t good in that aspect.”
Although neither team established clear momentum in a deadlocked first half, Corinthians ramped up their attacking pressure in the second half. Strong crowd support complemented the team’s elevated play.
Gotham couldn’t catch a break as Rose Lavelle sustained what appeared to be a head injury at the start of stoppage time and came off minutes later for Khyah Harper.
The reigning National Women’s Soccer League and Concacaf champions tried to respond in the final minutes to no avail. Jaedyn Shaw took the last shot of the match off a free kick at the edge of the area. Her attempt went wide right by inches.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we’ve got to look back, review, focus on and do better, not just for this competition, but for the rest of our season,” Gotham defender Jess Carter said.
Gotham will compete for third place on Sunday against either Arsenal, representing Europe, or ASFAR, representing Africa. Corinthians will play in the championship match later that day.
