A virada histórica das estreantes do Cruzeiro na Libertadores Feminina: a história em inglês, no seu nível
Na estreia no torneio, o Cruzeiro perdia a final para o tricampeão Corinthians por 3 a 0, empatou em 4 a 4 e venceu nos pênaltis. Leia a história em inglês, no seu nível.
World, meet Brazil · Edição #4
Boas notícias de brasileiros fazendo história, em inglês e no seu nível.
02 ESPORTE · ESTREIA → CAMPEÃS DA LIBERTADORES
Escolha o seu nível:
Básico · A2 Frases curtas e palavras do dia a dia
Cruzeiro: from 3-0 down to champions
Cruzeiro is a Brazilian football club. In 2026, its women's team played in the Copa Libertadores Feminina for the first time.
On October 31, Cruzeiro played the final against Corinthians. Corinthians won the last three tournaments. Soon, Cruzeiro was losing 3-0.
But the players did not give up. Four players scored, and the score was 4-4. Letícia Ferreira scored the last goal in stoppage time, the extra minutes at the end of the game.
Next came penalties. A penalty is a kick from close to the goal. Goalkeeper Camila Rodrigues saved the last kick. Cruzeiro won 5-4.
It was Cruzeiro's first title in the tournament. Byanca Brasil scored six goals in the tournament. She was one of the top scorers.
Palavras para guardar
| to give up | desistir |
| to score / scored | marcar (gol) / marcou |
| stoppage time | acréscimos |
| score | placar |
| goalkeeper | goleira |
| to save / saved | defender / defendeu |
| top scorer | artilheira |
Your turn
When did you keep trying after a bad start? Complete the sentence: "I did not give up when ______."
Quando você continuou tentando depois de um começo ruim?
Intermediário · B1/B2 Mais detalhes, como numa matéria de jornal
Debutants Cruzeiro come back from 3-0 down to win the Libertadores
Cruzeiro's women's team won the CONMEBOL Libertadores Feminina on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in their first appearance in the tournament. In a one-match final in Quito, Ecuador, they drew 4-4 with Corinthians and then won 5-4 on penalties.
Corinthians, who had won the three previous editions and hold a record six titles, took a 3-0 lead. Gabi Zanotti scored twice in the first half, and Vic Albuquerque added a third goal early in the second half.
Cruzeiro, coached by Jonas Urias, fought back. Goals from Byanca Brasil and Vitória Calhau, from the penalty spot, cut the deficit to 3-2. Corinthians scored again to make it 4-2, but Ketlin headed in from a corner and Letícia Ferreira equalised with another header in stoppage time.
In the shootout, goalkeeper Camila Rodrigues saved the final Corinthians kick to seal the club's first continental title. Byanca Brasil finished as one of the tournament's joint top scorers, with six goals. The title also earned Cruzeiro a place in the 2027 FIFA Women's Champions Cup, where they will face Barcelona in the semifinal.
Palavras para guardar
| appearance | participação, neste contexto |
| to draw / drew | empatar / empataram |
| lead | vantagem no placar |
| to fight back / fought back | reagir / reagiu |
| deficit | desvantagem |
| to equalise / equalised | empatar o jogo / empatou |
| shootout | disputa de pênaltis |
Your turn
Describe a time when you were losing (in a game, a test or a project) and turned the situation around. What did you do differently?
Descreva uma vez em que você estava perdendo e conseguiu virar a situação. O que você fez de diferente?
Avançado · C1 O texto completo, com expressões e contexto
From 3-0 down to champions: how Cruzeiro's debutants rewrote a final
Few teams win a continental title at the first attempt, and fewer still do it after trailing 3-0 in the final. That is exactly what Cruzeiro's women's team pulled off on October 31, 2026, when they beat Corinthians 5-4 on penalties after a 4-4 draw in Quito to lift the CONMEBOL Libertadores Feminina.
The task looked daunting. Corinthians arrived as three-time defending champions, with a record six titles and a fourth consecutive final. Two goals from Gabi Zanotti before half-time and a third from Vic Albuquerque shortly after the break seemed to have settled the match.
Jonas Urias's side, however, refused to fold. Byanca Brasil pulled one back, and Vitória Calhau converted a penalty to make it 3-2. Even when Albuquerque restored the two-goal cushion, Cruzeiro kept pressing: Ketlin headed home from a corner, and Letícia Ferreira nodded in the equaliser in stoppage time.
The shootout came down to nerves. Goalkeeper Camila Rodrigues saved the last Corinthians kick, handing the club its first continental title. Byanca Brasil, with six goals, finished level at the top of the scoring chart, and the win booked Cruzeiro a semifinal against Barcelona in the 2027 FIFA Women's Champions Cup.
The lesson reaches well beyond football. Anyone learning a language knows what it feels like to be three goals down: a conversation you cannot follow, a word that will not come. Cruzeiro's comeback is a reminder that the score at half-time is not the final result. Keep chipping away, one small goal at a time, and the momentum can shift faster than you expect.
Palavras para guardar
| to pull off / pulled off | conseguir (algo difícil) |
| to trail / trailing | estar atrás no placar |
| daunting | intimidante, assustador |
| to fold | desmoronar, entregar os pontos (neste contexto) |
| to pull one back / pulled one back | diminuir a diferença no placar |
| cushion | margem de vantagem, neste contexto |
| to nod in / nodded in | marcar de cabeça / marcou de cabeça |
| to chip away / chipping away | avançar aos poucos, com persistência |
| momentum | embalo, impulso |
Your turn
Is a comeback built more on talent, belief or preparation? Support your view with an example from your own life, perhaps from learning a language.
Uma virada depende mais de talento, de confiança ou de preparação? Defenda sua opinião com um exemplo da sua vida.
Fontes
- CONMEBOL: Cruzeiro virou contra o Corinthians e é campeão da CONMEBOL Libertadores Feminina (31/10/2026)
- Agência Brasil: Com reação incrível, Cruzeiro bate Corinthians e leva Libertadores (01/11/2026)
- CBF: Com roteiro emocionante, Cruzeiro bate Corinthians e conquista Libertadores Feminina pela primeira vez (01/11/2026)
As fontes divergem em detalhes: o gol de empate de Letícia Ferreira saiu no primeiro minuto de acréscimo segundo a CONMEBOL (fonte primária), aos 45 minutos segundo a CBF e nos acréscimos segundo a Agência Brasil; usamos a versão da CONMEBOL e evitamos os minutos dos demais gols, que variam entre as fontes. A goleira campeã aparece como Camila Rodrigues (CONMEBOL) e Camila (Agência Brasil, CBF). Os seis títulos do Corinthians e a vaga na FIFA Women's Champions Cup 2027, contra o Barcelona, vêm da CBF.
Do ler ao falar
Quer conversar sobre isso em inglês, e não só ler?
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