Renato hails Vasco win amid grief, slams VAR: “Football’s a contact sport”

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Papo na Colina

·22. April 2026

Renato hails Vasco win amid grief, slams VAR: “Football’s a contact sport”

Vasco claimed an important 2-0 win over Paysandu at Mangueirão stadium in Belém. After the Copa do Brasil match, head coach Renato Gaúcho spoke at a press conference and addressed delicate matters. He revealed his sadness over the loss of his sister, Iris Portaluppi, just hours before the Rio delegation departed. He turned down the board’s offer to return to Rio de Janeiro and insisted on leading the team from the sideline.

The coach opened up about how hard it was to focus on work after the tragic family news. He stressed how close he was to his sister and said he barely ate during the trip to Brazil’s North Region. Emotional, he explained his decision to stay focused with the squad:

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“It’s hard to speak at a time like this, because it’s hard to lose a loved one. The president offered to let me go back. I wanted to stay with the group. Keep my head up and work.”

+ With two goals from Spinelli, Vasco beat Paysandu and take an advantage in the Copa do Brasil

Tactical analysis and complaint against VAR at Vasco

On the pitch, the coach admitted that the home side caused a lot of problems in the first half, marking almost man-to-man and exploiting the space behind the defense. Vasco only played with real aggression in the second half, after the coach instructed the players to break through the first line of pressure and speed up the passing. The strategy paid off quickly, resulting in the two goals scored by striker Claudio Spinelli after excellent plays created by midfielder Rojas:

“In the first half, with all due respect to Paysandu, we gave away too much space. When we won the ball back, we looked for the man beside or behind us, we weren’t exploiting the spaces. Paysandu were marking almost man-to-man. I told them to break their first line, because from there we would find the spaces. We moved the ball quicker, sped up the game and, on an intelligent play by Rojas, with Spinelli’s header, we caught their defense open.”

Another major talking point from the press conference was the strong criticism of the disallowed third goal for Vasco. In stoppage time, forward Brenner set the ball up for Nuno Moreira to score, but referee Ramon Abatti Abel was called to the video monitor and awarded a foul on center-back Bruno Bispo. The coach completely disagreed with the decision:

“The goal was legitimate. Ramon Abatti had a good game. But VAR is complicated. Football is a contact sport. There was nothing in that play. Not even their center-back complained. I’m not complaining, just warning. We managed to score the two goals, Paysandu got a little desperate and we didn’t take more chances. But it’s a good advantage.”

Renato praised Claudio Spinelli and the other Vasco players – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

Rotation among strikers and focus on the national schedule

The coach also took the opportunity to praise the performance of the scorer of the decisive goals, Argentine forward Spinelli. He pointed out that No. 9s are heavily pressured by fans and praised the Argentine’s battle with the opposing defenders.

The coach justified the constant rotation among Vasco’s attacking players due to the enormous physical toll of the season, stressing that the squad is small and everyone needs to make the most of their opportunities in order to earn a run in the team:

“No. 9s are heavily demanded all over the world. Fans expect them to score goals. Spinelli took his opportunity. I rotate and tell them to be ready. He fought a lot in the match, battled with the opposing center-backs. He was important. You can’t always put the same team on the field. I’m rotating the squad, and the squad is responding. Our group is small, so we have to rotate. Everyone is getting opportunities and everyone is seeing it. It’s not just the coach. The press sees it, the fans, the board, the president. In that sense, I have nothing to complain about. The group is getting the job done.”

The coach ended his official remarks by thanking Vasco’s fans for the great affection shown to him and the entire group in the capital of Pará, also recalling the support seen in the previous match against Remo:

“Thank you for the affection from Vasco’s supporters toward me and the whole group. In the Remo match as well. I watch the derbies here and I’m happy to see this stadium always full, with the teams creating a great atmosphere. It’s important that people here like football, and that matters. It had been a long time since I had come here before the match against Remo, since my playing days. It was very good, I’m very grateful.”

With the 2-0 win, Vasco take an excellent advantage into the return leg, where they can afford to lose by up to one goal. Now, the team turns its tactical focus to the difficult upcoming fixtures in the Brazilian Championship.

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