One reason behind Vasco’s dip in form | OneFootball

Vasco's defeats to São Paulo and Botafogo in the two most recent rounds of the Brasileirão had one thing in common: Fernando Diniz’s team did not score any goals. This is the first time this has happened in two consecutive games in this edition of the championship.

Even with this negative streak, Vasco still has the fourth-best attack in the 2025 Brasileirão, with 49 goals scored, behind only Flamengo (61), Palmeiras (55), and Mirassol (52). Failing to score, therefore, has not been a frequent occurrence this season.

+ Diniz loses an important weapon for Vasco in the match against Juventude

David Ricardo and Vegetti in a play during Botafogo vs Vasco — Photo: Jorge Rodrigues/AGIF

Since Diniz’s arrival, this is the first time the team has gone two consecutive matches without finding the net. On Sunday, the Cruz-Maltino lost 2-0 to São Paulo at São Januário. Then, on Wednesday, they were beaten by Botafogo 3-0 at Nilton Santos.

Before this, something similar had only happened in rounds 5, 6, and 7 of the championship, when Vasco, still under the command of Fábio Carille and Felipe Loureiro, drew 0-0 with Flamengo and then lost to Cruzeiro (1-0) and Palmeiras (1-0).

– We’ve been building a Vasco that draws more attention from opponents. Botafogo was more careful with us, and we didn’t take the necessary care with them. That had a lot to do with our defeat today. We needed to do better, especially in marking. Things change, but we can’t lose that desire, especially against Botafogo, who are a strong opponent, and have the lapses we had — analyzed Diniz after the derby.

The two goalless games, however, had different contexts. Against São Paulo, Vasco created more and finished 22 times, nine of them on target. Against Botafogo, the offensive performance was much lower: only ten shots, none on target.

+ Diniz admits tactical failures in the defeat to Botafogo and talks about adjustments for Vasco’s reaction: “I am the main one responsible for this”

Vasco da Gama vs São Paulo for the Brazilian Championship held at Estádio de São Januário on November 2, 2025. Photos: Matheus Lima/Vasco.

Ninth in the Brasileirão, with 42 points, Vasco remains in the fight for a spot in the Libertadores and returns to the field next Saturday, at 6 p.m. (Brasília time), at São Januário, to face Juventude.

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