Gabigol and Arão strike as Santos drop Vasco into bottom four | OneFootball

Vasco is now second from bottom in the Brasileirão

They’re already used to it: with goals from Gabigol and Willian Arão, Santos steamrolled Vasco at São Januário in the 23rd round of the Brasileirão. Besides the two former Flamengo players, Luan Peres also found the net against the Rio club, which is now second from bottom in the competition.

With the result, Vasco remains on 22 points, above only bottom-placed Chapecoense, with 11. The relegation zone also includes Remo (22) and Internacional (23). Santos, meanwhile, which was in the bottom four at the start of the round, managed to breathe easier, moving up to 25 points in 14th place.

HOW WERE THE GOALS SCORED?

Even before the ball started rolling, Gabigol was the target of insults from the Vasco fans, largely because of the No. 9’s history with Flamengo. At Rubro-Negro, Gabriel used to torment the rival. However, the day didn’t start well for the striker, who missed an unbelievable chance in the first half.

Still, in the second half, the forward got on the scoresheet. In the 23rd minute, Rollheiser set up Gabigol, who, as goalkeeper Léo Jardim came off his line, sent the ball into the back of the net. There was some expectation that he would taunt the home crowd in the celebration, but the goalscorer chose to stand still like a ‘statue’.

Later, there was more of a ‘Flamengo goal.’ In the 32nd minute, Neymar hit a powerful free kick, Léo Jardim parried it into the middle of the box, and the ball deflected, ‘accidentally,’ off Willian Arão’s head: 2-0. There was still time for Luan Peres, also taking advantage of a rebound from the goalkeeper, to seal the scoreline.

Vasco’s fans, who are reputed (mistakenly) for never abandoning the team, left the stadium early. On the other hand, Santos supporters took the chance to shout “olé” and celebrate right at São Januário. A crisis for the Rio club, which is fighting to avoid relegation again.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— A good defeat for Vasco, thinking not only about the rivalry. In the next round, their rival faces Palmeiras, which is battling Flamengo for the top spot in the Brasileirão. In other words, even with the good relationship between the clubs, the Rio side won’t be able to take it easy in the match — began Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

— But it was, at the very least, funny that Santos won with two goals from former Flamengo players. Gabigol likes to ‘hurt’ Vasco, ever since his Mengão days. The only thing missing was for Gabriel to throw in his usual little taunt, but it still counts — he added.

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