the similarities and differences of the thorny paths to the Copa do Brasil final

The thorny paths traveled by Rio and São Paulo present other similarities, such as the change of coach in the first half of the season: Fábio Carille gave way to Fernando Diniz at São Januário, while Dorival Júnior replaced Ramón Díaz at Parque São Jorge. The last coaches of the Brazilian team before Carlo Ancelotti, Diniz and Dorival were announced by the finalists within an interval of 11 days. The first, at the beginning of May, and the second, at the end of April. They found similar scenarios: clubs in financial difficulty, with unbalanced squads and three competitions in dispute.

Off the pitch, the club scene was a little different. After a turbulent 2024, Vasco’s board of directors has achieved some stability. In the middle of an extremely important legal recovery procedure for the future of the club, he gave Diniz his full support, notably through President Pedrinho, a friend and admirer of the coach. Football director Admar Lopes, who arrived shortly after, did his best to deliver the pieces the team was missing.

Unsurprisingly, Vasco made the decision with five starters from the last transfer window: the defender duo Carlos Cuesta and Robert Renan, the midfielders Barros and Thiago Mendes and the striker Andrés Gómez.

For a few weeks, Vasco was one of the sensations of the Brasileirão. In October, they won four games in a row. But irregularities and a drop in confidence followed soon after, in another run, this time of five consecutive defeats, which left the team at risk of relegation.

Between the good times and the bad, the Brazilian Cup continued to be the scene of a more competitive Cruz-Maltino, who eliminated rivals Botafogo and Fluminense, clear favorites in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

The Corinthians try to protect themselves

The competition has also been a refuge for Corinthians, who spent much of the year trying to protect football, led by Fabinho Soldado, as the club faced a series of scandals that reached the police pages and resulted in the dismissal of the former president, Augusto Melo.

— I’ll be very honest. I had not experienced the difficulties that we experienced this year in any club – Dorival admitted in November. Under his command, the team beat, among other opponents, rivals Palmeiras and Cruzeiro, both favorites.

There, Vitinho was the only reinforcement of the window, while a problem tormented the squad for a good part of the season: injuries. To give you an idea, Dorival only managed to name its main attacking trio as starters in July (at the Brasileirão, in October): midfielder Rodrigo Garro and attacking duo Yuri Alberto and Memphis. The last two were even spared during yesterday’s training, but should play.

Much like Vasco, Corinthians flirted with the top and bottom halves of the table, but took fewer risks. At the best time of the year, he won three in a row between October and November. On the other hand, he has not lost more than two in a row.

The basic solution is another detail that unites the finalists’ campaigns. In need, Dorival found Gui Negão, an 18-year-old who has delivered five goals and two assists this season. In São Januário, Rayan, 19, took off and became the biggest revelation in Brazilian football. He has 20 goals and one assist.