Lucas Moura hails Vasco's movement and possession after São Paulo win | OneFootball

After São Paulo's 2-0 victory over Vasco last Sunday (2), at Morumbi, during the 31st round of the Brazilian Championship, forward Lucas Moura highlighted the team's effort and praised the opponent led by Fernando Diniz.

“Today was undoubtedly a game of great effort. And we knew it was going to be like this, right? A team (Vasco) that is in a very good moment and plays with a lot of movement, a lot of ball possession. This demands a lot of attention from our team and a lot of effort, running a lot, really committing to marking, everyone helping each other. And that's what we did. We ran a lot, we helped each other a lot, both those who started playing and those who came in later. We were rewarded with this victory, which I think was deserved, combining our quality, of course. We managed to close the spaces, not let them have clear opportunities, and we were able to take advantage of our chances too,” said Lucas in an interview after the game.

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Credits: Rubens Chiri/Saopaulofc.net

Vasco has volume, but São Paulo is more efficient

The match started evenly. São Paulo pressed Vasco's ball exit and created the first chances, but the cross-maltese team soon balanced the actions and began to occupy more of the attacking field. Facing difficulties in construction, Diniz's team relied on long-distance shots and crosses.

Vasco's best chance in the first half came at 28 minutes: after a corner, Rayan headed the ball onto the post, and Robert Renan forced Rafael to make a good save from the rebound. São Paulo responded at 38, with Tapia finishing face-to-face for a save by Léo Jardim.

In stoppage time, the VAR alerted to a foul by Paulo Henrique on Arboleda inside the area. The penalty was confirmed, and Lucas Moura converted, opening the score before the break.

In the second half, Vasco maintained an offensive stance and tried to press with crosses, but Arboleda had the upper hand in most aerial duels. Andrés Gómez had the best opportunity at 9 minutes but was stopped by Rafael.

Fernando Diniz pushed the team forward, with five offensive players on the field, but São Paulo defended well and extended the lead at 41 minutes: after a corner, Luiz Gustavo headed in at the near post to score the second. Rigoni still had a chance to score the third in stoppage time but shot wide.

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Credits: Rubens Chiri/Saopaulofc.net

Standings situation

With the result, São Paulo reached 44 points and rose to eighth place, surpassing Vasco, which dropped to ninth, with 42 points.

In the next round, Vasco faces Botafogo this Wednesday (5), at 7:30 PM, at Nilton Santos Stadium, in the Rio de Janeiro derby valid for the 32nd round of the Brasileirão.

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