Puma Rodríguez becomes Vasco’s highest-scoring foreign defender | OneFootball

At Maracanã on Wednesday, Puma Rodríguez struck to seal Vasco’s passage past Fluminense in the Copa do Brasil last 16. The goal also made the Uruguayan the club’s top-scoring foreign defender.

It was the full-back’s 15th for the club, 14th in official competition, since arriving in 2023. This is his most prolific campaign with Vasco, with six goals.

On the club’s official tally, Rodríguez moved ahead of Beracochea, the storied Uruguayan from the Expresso da Vitória era between 1946 and 1948. Figliola, also from Uruguay, sits third. The list includes both competitive fixtures and friendlies.

Rodríguez has also drawn level with Spinelli as Vasco’s leading scorer this season.

He is doing so amid a difficult family moment. His father, José Luis Rodríguez, suffered a heart attack on the day of the 1-1 draw with Mirassol and remains in a serious condition. The club offered him time away and kept the matter private, but the defender chose to keep playing.

Team-mates and staff left the bench to embrace him after the goal that confirmed progression, and Rodríguez said he was experiencing a flood of emotions. He noted his father is fighting for his life and showing gradual improvement, with his mother and sister beside him, and that the squad’s support is a source of happiness.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”