One goal short! Why Vasco stay in the bottom four after Flamengo win | OneFootball

Despite qualifying for the Copa do Brasil semifinals, Vasco fans also went through moments of anticipation with the Brazilian Championship table on Wednesday night (2). In the postponed match from the 4th round, played at the Maracanã, Flamengo beat Mirassol 2-0. Despite the positive result by their Rio rival against a direct competitor, the scoreline was not enough to lift Cruzmaltino out of the uncomfortable 17th place in Série A.

To move up to 16th place and push the team from the São Paulo countryside into the relegation zone without even taking the field, the Giant of the Hill needed their rival to win by at least three goals. Since the match ended with only a two-goal margin, the Rio and São Paulo sides finished the round exactly tied on 25 points in the table.

+ “If Vasco get strong, f****”: journalist reveals why Bap is desperate behind the scenes

The head-to-head tiebreaker that kept Vasco in the bottom four

Cruzmaltino’s place in the bottom four was decided only by the fourth tiebreaker established by CBF regulations. Both teams are completely level in number of wins (6), goal difference (-12) and goals scored (27).

The balance ultimately tipped in favor of the São Paulo side in the head-to-head category, keeping the team temporarily out of the danger zone. The statistical deadlock reinforces how tight the relegation battle is in this final stretch of the season.

Photo: ge

Postponed match and derby against Fluminense

Despite the bitter feeling from the missed opportunity created by scoreboard-watching, Vasco still has an important card up its sleeve for the coming weeks. The Rio club has a game in hand compared to several direct rivals, referring to the postponed clash against Chapecoense, valid for the 21st round and delayed at the time because of Copa Sudamericana commitments.

After sealing a place in the Copa do Brasil semifinals against Vitória, the team led by coach Pedro Emanuel now turns its full attention to the Brasileirão, where it will face Fluminense in next Saturday’s derby at 9 p.m. (Brasília time), depending only on its own efforts to avoid relegation.

Vasco beat Cruzeiro at home and will go all out against Fluminense – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

+ Follow Papo na Colina on social media: Thread, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Google News.

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