Vegetti praises Vasco's overcoming after heroic qualification in the Copa do Brasil

Vasco da Gama confirmed its qualification for the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil by beating Athletico-PR on penalties, after a 2-1 defeat in regular time, this Wednesday (11), at Ligga Arena, in Curitiba. The Rio de Janeiro team counted on a header by Pablo Vegetti to make up for the deficit, in addition to a decisive performance by goalkeeper Léo Jardim. The qualification came with the last penalty converted by Vegetti himself, who is the competition's top scorer with six goals.

Hard-fought victory in Curitiba

Vasco faced difficulties during the away match. The Rio de Janeiro team saw Athletico-PR open up a 2-0 lead in the first half and end the advantage they had built at São Januário. In addition, striker Rayan was sent off in the 42nd minute of the first half after attacking Esquivel. Despite the unfavorable scenario, Vasco reacted with a header from Vegetti in the first half's injury time, leaving everything tied on aggregate.

In the second half, Vasco continued to struggle, but Léo Jardim played a great game, playing decisively and preventing the Paraná club from increasing the score, taking the match to penalties. In the penalty shootout, both teams were converting their shots until Léo Jardim once again shone and saved Athletico-PR's third shot, which came from the feet of striker Canobbio. The final and decisive kick was scored by Vegetti, who secured Vasco's qualification for the semifinals of the competition.

^{Decisive penalty by Pablo Vegetti that took Vasco to the semi-finals (Video: reproduction/Instagram/@vascodagama)}

Vegetti opens up about Vasco's trajectory

After the victory, Vegetti, the main name of the night, highlighted the suffering and overcoming that the team has been going through since last season. The Argentine striker stated that wearing the Vasco shirt is a great responsibility and that the team is used to overcoming difficult moments: “No one knows how to suffer more than us“, said the player in an interview after the match. The striker said that, despite the difficulties, the team is in a good moment and stated that the group will seek more achievements in the season: “We have to keep going, we are in a position to go further“, completed Vegetti.

Next opponent in the Copa do Brasil

With their spot guaranteed, Vasco now awaits the definition of their opponent in the semi-final of the Copa do Brasil, which will come from the match between Atlético-MG and São Paulo, scheduled for this Thursday. However, next Sunday, the Rio de Janeiro club already has another big challenge ahead: a classic against Flamengo, for the Brazilian Championship.

Featured Photo: Vegetti celebrating after converting the last penalty (Reproduction/Instagram/@vascodagama)