Bruno Lazaroni rues Vasco’s Copa do Brasil exit, backs Brenner

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·2 March 2026

Bruno Lazaroni rues Vasco’s Copa do Brasil exit, backs Brenner

Interim coach Bruno Lazaroni lamented Vasco’s elimination in the semifinals of the Campeonato Carioca, which took place this Sunday afternoon. In a press conference after the 1-1 draw at Maracanã, he explained how he tried to manage the match against Fluminense after a narrow defeat in the first leg.

“Since Fluminense brings a very physical game, I chose David. The goal was for both Brenner and Rojas to float inside to create space for both Andrés (Gómez) and David. That didn’t happen much in the first half, but, like it or not, we had two chances before scoring the goal. In the second half, we started to move more in this direction. Andrés almost broke through twice inside, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough,” he stated.

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Lazaroni also spoke about the decision for Brenner to take the penalty when Vasco was ahead – goalkeeper Fábio saved the shot. “There were two players to take it: Puma and Brenner. I think they ended up deciding on Brenner. It was their choice. Brenner ended up missing, but he played a good match. Maybe his best since he arrived,” he said.

The interim coach also commented on the team’s lack of accuracy and how much it has cost the squad as the season progresses. “The departure of three pillars of the team is directly influencing things. Vegetti and Rayan, two key players in the offensive phase. Coutinho has a huge presence, an international-level player, and we didn’t want him to leave. New leaders will have to emerge. But I really believe in training. With the arrival of new players, it takes a bit more time,” he stated.

To conclude, when asked about his own future, Lazaroni preferred not to go into detail. “At the moment, nothing has been communicated to me. On Tuesday we’ll report back and the board may provide some information about this,” he said.