TOMORROW at Ashburton Grove, the winners of the first-ever Fifa Women’s Champions Cup will be crowned. While most people expected European champions Arsenal to come through the semi-final stage on home soil, their South American opponents Corinthians surprised some by prevailing over the reigning NWSL champions Gotham FC.

Forward Ivana Fuso came on as a substitute in that match and helped turn the tie in Corinthians’ favour. The Brazilians won thanks to a late goal from 40-year-old captain Gabi Zanotti. Fuso felt her team had proved a point. “So many people doubted us. We just stayed silent because there was a lot of noise about it. I feel like you should never disrespect us, even if you don’t know what we’re capable of. Just because we are from Brazil it doesn’t mean the level is lower. The level is also high.

“If you watch the games in Brazil, we have intense matches. We have three games in a week. I feel like we made a statement. I’m so happy about that. I hope people will respect Corinthians more.”

A sparse crowd at Wednesday’s semi-final at Brentford was illuminated by the raucous support of the Corinthians fans known as Fiel (faithful). Members of two of their largest fan groups, or torcidas, are present in London — the Gavioes da Fiel (Eagles of the Faith) and Camisa 12 (Twelfth Shirt).

Fuso was not surprised by the noise they generated. She told the Morning Star: “They’re crazy. If you come to Brazil, they will just sing the whole time. They’re always loud. I feel like it’s so good to have them here because they are helping us as well. We are here in London but people fly from Brazil to see us. That is amazing.”

“If you come to Brazil, the stadium will be full, and nobody will sit! Here in England, the girls were laughing that everyone who was watching Chelsea v Arsenal was sitting and everyone was clapping. In Brazil, they are standing for 90 minutes, chanting and saying bad words. They’re like crazy. They will be there and it will be a good game.”

A bumper crowd is expected in north London but for the Corinthians players, staying close to Wembley Stadium, they mistakenly thought that is where they would be playing the final. Fuso revealed “I’m excited, I feel like the girls are excited. [Ashburton Grove] is a big stadium. I thought we’d play at Wembley. When we came, all the girls said ‘are we playing here?’ When we heard about it, we were just laughing. The [Arsenal ground] is also amazing. I hope a lot of fans can come and join us and see that incredible game as well.”

Many have questioned the timing of the tournament, with the final taking place on the same day as the clash between Manchester City and Chelsea, the top two teams in the Women’s Super League. Like Gotham FC, Corinthians are in their off-season and have been forced to return to training early to prepare for the two matches on another continent.

Fuso admitted: “It’s quite difficult because you don’t really have time to recover well. It was a short time that we came from last season, and then we just had three weeks. Even for your mental health, it’s a crazy thing to recover really quick. I feel like the holidays that I spent with my son, it went so quick. You couldn’t even enjoy it because you needed to work and run in the cold.”

“In Brazil, the season is really big. It’s not like here in England where you have less games. In Brazil, it’s a lot of games so the girls didn’t have any real break. So I hope that everyone stays injury-free. I think for the next time, maybe they could do it in July, like for the men’s club World Cup. Then everyone is in season, everyone is fitter, everyone is on the same level. Maybe, as well, in another country where it’s getting hot!”

In 2000, the Corinthians men’s team won the first edition of the Club World Cup. Fifa has insisted that the winners of the Women’s Champions Cup will be intercontinental champions with an expanded tournament, the Women’s Club World Cup proposed for 2028. Nonetheless, it is inevitable that fans of the winning club on Sunday will label their team as women’s club world champions.

So are the Corinthians women’s team motivated by the possibility of emulating their men’s team? “A little bit,” said Fuso. “You can’t compare the two teams. We as women won everything, the men are a little bit behind us. So I would say, they need to watch our games more! Of course, the history reminds us to give everything. I feel like we focus on us more, we are looking forward to the final.”