Vasco starter nears historic milestone in his career | OneFootball

Nuno Moreira reached the milestone of 50 games this Sunday in his debut season for Vasco. The Portuguese forward, an important piece at the start of the year, has been feeling the physical strain during the team's most turbulent period and is close to matching the number of matches he played in his last two seasons in Portugal.

If he plays in all the remaining fixtures – and if Vasco advances to the final of the Copa do Brasil – Nuno could reach 57 games in 2025, exactly the total he accumulated between 2023 and 2024, when he wore the Vizela shirt. Including appearances for Casa Pia, the forward has already played 56 times this year, the highest number of matches in his career.

Despite the high number of minutes on the field, his recent performance has dropped. Nuno hasn’t scored or assisted in over a month. His last goal was in the 2-0 win over Fluminense in the 29th round, on October 20.

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Nuno Moreira, CSA vs Vasco — Photo: Marlon Costa/AGIF

Physical issue: an old problem

Since arriving at Vasco in March, Nuno has drawn attention for his difficulty in maintaining pace throughout the 90 minutes. At 26 years old, the player often shows early signs of fatigue and rarely stays on until the final whistle.

Fernando Diniz has already been asked about the subject and admitted that the Portuguese player still has room for physical improvement. After the 0-0 draw with CSA in August, in the Copa do Brasil, the coach explained:

Among the 50 matches played for Vasco, Nuno played the full 90 minutes in only two: against Fluminense (10th round) and Grêmio (15th). In total, the forward has 3,738 minutes this season, the ninth highest in the squad.

Decisive match ahead

Amid a sharp drop in performance, Nuno returns to the field with Vasco in a crucial clash against Internacional on Friday, in the 36th round. After five straight defeats, Cruzmaltino is stuck at 42 points and needs a win to move away from the relegation zone in the final stretch of the Brasileirão.

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