Igor Coronado and Yuri Alberto struck either side of halftime as Corinthians eased to a 2-0 away victory over Fortaleza in their all-Brazilian Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal first leg clash.
Coronado opened the scoring in the 39th minute on Tuesday when he received Talles Magno’s pass before curling a first-time effort from 25 yards into the top-right corner.
Alberto doubled the advantage as he smashed a volley beyond the reach of goalkeeper Joao Ricardo after the latter parried away Matheuzinho’s attempt from an acute angle.
“We’re fighting to get out of a difficult situation in the Brazilian league,” Coronado said, alluding to Corinthians’ current position of 18th in the 20-team Serie A standings.
“This is a different competition and it was easier to turn things around. We attacked at every opportunity and created a lot of genuine scoring chances,” the former Palermo player added.
The return leg will be played at Arena Corinthians next Tuesday.
