Highlights: Mirassol 2-1 Vasco | OneFootball

Vasco was defeated by a comeback from Mirassol with a 2 to 1 score, this Thursday, at Maião, in the first round of the Brazilian Championship. The Cruz-Maltino started better, opened the scoring with Philippe Coutinho, but conceded the equalizer still in the first half and ended up punished in the final stage after another error in ball distribution.

What's next?

Mirassol starts the Brasileirão with a home victory and maintains its unbeaten record at the José Maria de Campos Maia Stadium, which has been ongoing since last season. Vasco, on the other hand, debuts with a defeat and remains without points in the competition, something that hasn't happened since their return to Serie A in 2023.

First half

The first half was marked by balance, with distinct moments for each team. Vasco started better, more intense, exploring the movement of Andrés Gómez, Coutinho, and Rojas, who alternated positions and created good opportunities even without a reference center forward.

At 22 minutes, Puma Rodríguez made a good offensive support and crossed precisely for Coutinho, who scored with a header and opened the scoring for the Cruz-Maltino.

After the goal, Vasco retreated its lines and began to have difficulties in ball distribution. Mirassol increased the pressure and started to force errors, especially on the right side of Vasco's defense. In one of these plays, after a cross into the area, Renato Marques headed, the ball deflected off Carlos Cuesta and went in, declaring the equalizer.

Still in the first half, Coutinho and João Victor collided heads in an aerial dispute, causing concern, but both returned to the game after medical attention.

+ Vasco suffers from errors and is defeated by Mirassol in the Brasileirão debut

Photo: Reproduction/SporTV

The second half

After the break, Mirassol maintained an aggressive stance and began to explore Vasco's defensive errors even more. The São Paulo team advanced its lines, gained the midfield, and started to press the Cruz-Maltino's ball distribution, making it difficult to build from the defenders.

Vasco felt the goal conceded at the end of the first half and had difficulty regaining control of the game. Without a reference center forward, the team found it hard to hold the ball in the offensive field and saw Mirassol grow in volume and presence in the final third.

The comeback came in another aerial play. After a free kick lifted into the area, Vasco's defense failed again in marking, and Eduardo appeared free to finish and put Mirassol ahead. From there, the home team managed the result well, controlling the pace of the match.

Fernando Diniz tried to change the scenario with substitutions, seeking to give more depth and speed to the attack, but Vasco stumbled on the lack of offensive organization and the difficulty in creating clear chances. Mirassol, in turn, knew how to close spaces, bet on counterattacks, and hold the final pressure until the whistle.

Tactical analysis

Vasco started the match with a mobile attacking strategy, without a fixed number 9, betting on the circulation of Coutinho, Rojas, and Gómez. The idea worked in the first minutes, with good space occupation and quick position exchanges, culminating in Coutinho's header goal.

However, the strategy lost strength as Mirassol adjusted the high pressure. The São Paulo team identified weaknesses in Vasco's ball distribution, especially on the right side, and began to force defensive errors, which directly resulted in the equalizing goal.

Defensively, Vasco again showed problems with aerial balls, a decisive point in the result. Both Mirassol's goals came from high plays, highlighting positioning and communication failures between defenders and full-backs.

Unable to impose their possession game in the second half, Fernando Diniz's team struggled to react emotionally and tactically after the comeback. There was a lack of intensity in marking, presence in the midfield, and clarity in offensive actions, factors that prevented a more consistent reaction.

Mirassol, on the other hand, was efficient in exploiting the opponent's mistakes, maintained defensive organization, and knew how to control the game after taking the lead in the score, starting ahead in the Brasileirão with a significant victory.

Check out the best moments:

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