Bahia and Corinthians played out a 1:1 draw in the Brazilian Championship's Regular Season round 16 on Friday evening. The result keeps both sides in touch with the upper half of the table, though the gap between them remains clear. To be fair, neither side could claim they deserved more from a game that swung one way then the other.
Jaqueline Ribeiro opened the scoring early, finding the net in the second minute before Corinthians had settled. It looked like a quick statement from the hosts, but by then the visitors had found their rhythm. A. Gomez equalised in the 46th minute, just before the break, and the momentum shifted.
Coaches threw bodies into the middle third from the 60th minute onwards. Bahia brought on B. Aquino and D. Rodriguez together, while Corinthians responded with Aila. The substitutions kept coming — Gabi Zanotti and Jhonson, then W. Rosa and Carol Martins, before Mila Santos and A. Gomez completed the changes.
The numbers tell a straightforward story. Bahia had 92 attacks to Corinthians' 80, and 9 shots on target against 5. The hosts held 52 per cent possession and won 7 corners to 5. And here's the thing — nine shots on target for one goal means they didn't take their chances as cleanly as they might have hoped.
Corinthians arrived in better form, having won their last three matches including a 4:1 away victory over Santos. Bahia had mixed results in the same period, including a 3:0 win over Atlético Mineiro but also a 0:1 defeat to Ferroviária. The table reflects that difference: Corinthians sit second on 38 points, six clear of fourth, while Bahia are sixth with 29.
A point each keeps the hosts in the fight for European qualification places, though they still need to find consistency. Corinthians remain in the title race but will know they dropped ground against a side that pushed them all the way. The old head settled them down in the end, and that's often enough in these tight encounters.