Vasco da Gama beats Atlético Mineiro at home and guarantees a place in the 2025 Copa Sudamericana

The second day of the 37th round of the Brazilian Championship started excitingly. This Wednesday (4), Vasco and Atlético Mineiro faced each other in São Januário, tied on points. The aim was to win, as the chances of a place in the Copa Sudamericana were in question. With more interaction, Cruzmaltino dominated the first half, but the goals only came in the second, with Vegetti and Philippe Coutinho. On the other hand, Galo, who on Saturday lost the Libertadores final to Botafogo, and the Copa do Brasil, to Flamengo recently, showed a sharp drop in performance on the field, completing 12 games without winning.

First half was just Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama's team came with changes for the penultimate match of the Championship. The club's interim coach and former player, Felipe Maestro, chose to field an experienced team against Atlético-MG, which had been shaken by recent defeats. The opening minutes were full of movement on both sides, and in the 17th minute, Coutinho tried to open the score, but the ball went over the crossbar. Two minutes later, it was Hulk's turn to make his attempt, but Leo Jardim saved it.

Looking to get the moves right, Galo found themselves on the field again, but in the 28th minute, Guilherme Arana didn't make a good finish and wasted the opportunity to find the net. After a shirt tug, Vegetti complained a lot to the referee and ended up getting the first yellow card of the game, 30 minutes into the game. The Atletico defense had a hard time in the following minutes, as Vasco continued to advance into the penalty area and managed to evade the markings.

The first yellow card for Atlético was given in the 42nd minute, to Guilherme Arana for committing a foul. In the 44th minute, Piton took a free kick inside the area, but Everson saved João Vitor's header. Vasco ended the first half with 60% possession of the ball, compared to 40% for the opponent.

_{After the defeat to Vasco, coach Gabriel Milito was fired from command of Atlético-MG (Photo: reproduction/Instagram/@atletico)}

Atlético-MG is blank and concedes two goals in a few minutes

In the second half, the home team managed, in the fifth minute, to scare the visitor, with a shot on goal by Alex Teixeira saved by the Galo goalkeeper. It didn't take long, and in the next minute, Vegetti opened the scoring with an assist from Coutinho. With the blow, coach Milito decided to change the team for the first time, placing Vargas and Alisson in place of Deyverson and Guilherme Arana, in the 12th minute. Then, Fausto Vera almost tied the score, but the Vasco defense managed to prevent the move. At 16 minutes, another Minas Gerais attempt made by striker Vargas was unsuccessful.

With 18 minutes, Philippe Coutinho had a great assist from Lucas Piton and increased the score in São Januário. Ten minutes later, Frenchman Payet came on to replace number 11, and Sforza came on to replace Jair, who was having a good game. The second Cruzmaltino yellow card went to Paulo Henrique, who committed a foul in the 30th minute, and then Lucas Piton was also penalized. Coach Felipe made more substitutions. In the 37th minute he removed Alex Teixeira for Maxine Dominguez.

Striker Hulk even tried to reduce the score during a free kick, but the ball went out. The match was still defined, but coach Felipe changed it once again in the 43rd minute, placing Leandrinho and Paulinho in place of Piton and Hugo Moura. In the six minutes of extra time, Alonso made another attempt for Atlético, without results. At 50 minutes, the referee ended the match, confirming Vasco's return to an international competition after five years, as they guaranteed a place in the Copa Sudamericana in 2025. On the opposite side, Atlético Mineiro went through the 12th round without winning and risking finishing the Championship, on Sunday (8) a place in international competitions.

Featured photo: Phelippe Coutinho and Pablo Vegetti guaranteed Vasco's victory against Atlético Mineiro (Reproduction/Instagram/@vascodagama/Matheus Lima)