Comeback win: Vasco beat Bahia 3-1, end home drought and climb the table | OneFootball

Vasco has returned to winning ways in front of their home crowd. After a 130-day drought at São Januário in the Brazilian Championship, the Cruzmaltino defeated Bahia 3-1, coming from behind, in a delayed match of the 16th round. The game was marked by controversial refereeing and a lot of emotion, with goals from Philippe Coutinho, Puma Rodríguez, and an own goal from Luciano Juba.

The result takes Vasco to 27 points, pulling the team out of trouble in the table and placing it in the 13th position, further away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Bahia, who dream of a direct spot in the Libertadores, saw the defeat as costly, remaining in the mid-table.

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First half of controversies and Vasco's reaction

At the 30-minute mark, after a disastrous Vasco ball clearance, Hugo Moura slipped and Lucas Freitas failed in sequence, allowing Mateo Sanabria to open the scoring for Bahia. The play caused outrage on the Vasco bench because, moments before, midfielder Rezende, number 5 for Tricolor, had landed a harsh stamp on Philippe Coutinho. Referee João Gobi did not call a foul and did not even consult VAR.

Photo: Reproduction/Amazon.

Shortly after, at 36 minutes, Bahia was one man down after the expulsion of Jean Lucas, who made a hard tackle in midfield. With a numerical advantage, coach Fernando Diniz took out Lucas Freitas to bring on David, seeking more offensive play.

The strategy worked. Vasco pressed until, at 45 minutes, Philippe Coutinho emerged as the hero: the number 11 received an assist from defender Carlos Cuesta and finished accurately to tie the game before halftime.

Turnaround in spirit and more VAR controversy

Without changes in the second half, Vasco continued to press. At 15 minutes, the turnaround came: Puma Rodríguez, improvised at left-back, took advantage of a cross and scored with a header, setting São Januário alight.

The game returned to controversy at 20 minutes. Puma was hit hard in a challenge, and referee João Gobi immediately issued a yellow card. The VAR recommended a review, but the referee maintained the decision, angering Vasco fans, who were calling for a sending off.

Despite the defensive posture of Rogério Ceni, who reinforced the Tricolor midfield after the expulsion, Vasco maintained their offensive impetus. At 32 minutes, the pressure paid off: in a cross from the right, Luciano Juba of Bahia tried to cut off, but ended up scoring an own goal, extending the lead to 3-1.

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Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco.

End of drought and relief in the table

With the victory, Vasco ends an uncomfortable period of five games without a win at São Januário in the Brasileirão. The last victory was against Fortaleza, on May 17.

The result boosts the morale of Fernando Diniz's team, who breathe a sigh of relief in the fight against the Z-4 and see Philippe Coutinho increasingly taking on the role of the team's technical leader. Meanwhile, Bahia suffers another setback and extends their negative streak to four games without a win.

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