Diniz hails Vasco win, eyes tough Botafogo clash | OneFootball

At Ilha do Retiro, Vasco defeated Sport by 3 to 2 this Sunday, for the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. Coach Fernando Diniz celebrated the triumph and already highlighted the focus on the duel with Botafogo, for the return match of the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil, after the Fifa Date.

Playing away from home, Vasco opened the scoring at seven minutes, with Nuno Moreira. However, Sport tied and grew in the duel. In the final stretch of the first half and at the beginning of the complementary stage, Coutinho and Vegetti scored. The Lion still reduced and pressured at the end of the match, but the Giant of the Hill managed to maintain the victory.

“We just finished this game. Obviously we have already started thinking about Botafogo. But, we have to celebrate this victory a little bit. Now, there are ten days until the game against Botafogo. The team has fluctuated, more in the result than in the performance. In fact, today we fluctuated within the game itself”, highlighted Fernando Diniz, at a press conference.

Speaking about the fluctuation, Fernando Diniz acknowledged that Vasco has to be “consistent” against Botafogo. In the first leg, at São Januário, the Giant of the Hill tied 1 to 1 with the Glorious.

“We know that, against Botafogo, we have to have a very consistent match, as it was last Wednesday. It's the only way for us to qualify for the next phase of the Copa do Brasil. (Botafogo) is a very strong opponent. We will prepare in the best way”, he added.

Vasco returns to the field next Thursday (11), when it visits Botafogo, at Nilton Santos. The ball rolls at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), and the tie takes the duel to penalties.

Vasco's Phase

With the victories of Juventude and Vitória, Vasco still remains glued to the relegation zone, but finished the round outside the Z4. Fernando Diniz's team is in 15th position, with 22 points - the same score as Vitória, 17th place.

In the Brasileirão, Vasco returns to the field next Sunday (14), at 8:30 pm, when it hosts Ceará, for the 23rd round of the tournament.

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