Léo Jardim shines on penalties, Vasco eliminates Fluminense and reaches the final of the Copa do Brasil

THE Vasco is in the final Brazilian Cup. On an emotional evening at the Maracanã, Cruzmaltino beat Fluminense on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw. Despite the 1-0 defeat in regulation time – with an own goal from Paulo Henrique – the Vasco team once again counted on the genius of Léo Jardim to guarantee the classification in front of more than 65 thousand supporters.

THE GAME

Even with the advantage gained in the first match, Vasco started the match imposing a strong rhythm and controlling the actions. The team created good chances, mainly with Rayan and Gómez, but failed to obtain good interventions from Fábio and decisive cuts from the tricolor defense, in particular Thiago Silva.

Fluminense balanced the confrontation after 30 minutes of the first half and started to arrive with more danger. Canobbio had a good chance on the right, but Léo Jardim looked good to avoid the goal. While the match seemed to be heading towards half-time with no change in the score, Tricolor counted on luck to open the scoring on an unfortunate gesture from Paulo Henrique, who scored against after a play created by Samuel Xavier and Canobbio.

In the second half, the duel remained intense, with Vasco looking for a goal and Fluminense relying on counter-attacks. Fábio was once again decisive, making at least two spectacular saves, mainly on Rayan’s shots, maintaining the minimal advantage that led to the penalty shootout decision.

PENALTIES

When shooting, balance gave way to the main role of goalkeepers. Vegetti stopped Fábio during Vasco’s first attack, but Léo Jardim responded by saving penalties from John Kennedy and Canobbio. After conversions from Ganso, Víctor Luís, Renê and Coutinho, it was up to Puma Rodríguez to take the decisive penalty and seal Vasco’s place in the final.

Now, Cruzmaltino will face Corinthians in the big decider of the Copa do Brasil. The first leg will take place on the 17th, at the Neo Química Arena, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), while the return leg will be played at the Maracanã, on the 21st, with Vasco dreaming of lifting the national trophy again.