Carlinha and Tayla celebrate Brasileirão A1 title and chance with Brazil

Carlinha and Tayla were among the first players to join the Women’s National Team delegation in Porto Alegre for the friendlies against Argentina. The day before joining coach Arthur Elias’s squad, they played key roles in São Paulo’s Brasileirão Feminino A1 title win. The goalkeeper and the defender celebrated both the achievement and the opportunity to represent Brazil.

“I’m the player who has been at the club the longest, since the women’s team was relaunched, so experiencing this moment with São Paulo on top made it the most important and amazing day of my life,” Carlinha said.

“I wasn’t expecting so many good things to happen to me this year. Sometimes it’s actually good not to get your hopes up, because when good news comes, it’s incredible. I was so happy to be called up, and winning the Brazilian Championship was fantastic. I’m still trying to take in everything that’s happening. My heart is full of gratitude, and I’m trying to make the most of this opportunity,” Tayla said.

Tayla and Carlinha, 2026 Brasileirão Feminino A1 champions, arriving in Porto AlegreCredits: Luciana Vermell/CBF

FOCUS ON THE NEXT PLAY

In the 18th minute of the Brasileirão Feminino A1 final, played on Saturday (3), with São Paulo leading 1–0, Carlinha made a mistake playing out from the back, and Corinthians equalized. In the 21st minute of the second half, a penalty awarded to Corinthians could have changed the course of the match, but the goalkeeper remained composed and confident as she prepared to make the save. Carlinha saved Gabi Zanotti’s penalty, and the 1–1 draw secured the title for São Paulo with a 3–2 aggregate victory.

A football match has its ups and downs, and for the goalkeeper, knowing how to handle each moment is a crucial part of the game.

“For me, this match came down to two moments: the moment after the mistake and the penalty. We always talk a lot about the next play. There was still a lot of football left to play, and football is crazy because it gives you a chance to turn things around within the same match. When the penalty was awarded, I told Bia Menezes (São Paulo’s full-back), ‘I’m going to save it.’ And in the end, it worked out for me,” she said.

LEADERSHIP

Tayla captained São Paulo to the Brazilian Championship title. She takes pride in being someone others look up to at such an important moment for the club. In an interview with CBF TV, the defender spoke about how she feels about being one of the team’s leaders.

“It took me a while to see myself as a leader within the group. I’ve been considered a leader for a few years now, and I take a very relaxed approach to it. I always saw leadership as something very authoritative, about speaking forcefully, and that’s not who I am. I’m a calmer person, offering guidance in a tone that I believe is assertive. I’m really happy that people have recognized that,” she said.

BRAZILIAN NATIONAL TEAM

During this October FIFA international window, Brazil will face Argentina twice. The first match will be on Saturday (10), at 4:30 p.m., at Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre. The second match will be on October 13, at 8:30 p.m., at Arena Pernambuco in Recife.

Carlinha and Tayla have earned another opportunity in Arthur Elias’s squad and hope to count on the fans’ support in both home matches, just as they did in the Brasileirão Feminino final. On that occasion, São Paulo fans broke the competition’s attendance record, with more than 49,000 supporters at MorumBIS.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.