Puma Rodríguez dedicates sealing goal at Maracanã to hospitalised father after Vasco beat Fluminense | OneFootball

Puma Rodríguez had an emotional night at the Maracanã, scoring to seal Vasco’s 3-1 win over Fluminense and a Copa do Brasil quarter-final place. He dedicated the strike to his father, who is in intensive care.

The right back struck in the 54th minute of the second half, prompting coaches and substitutes to run on and mob the number two. According to PaponaColina, he later revealed his father, José Luis Rodríguez, suffered a heart attack on 25 July and remains in a serious condition in the ICU.

The news reached him after the draw with Mirassol, when his mother informed him of the emergency. Since then he has balanced training with daily hospital visits to monitor his father’s progress.

The club’s football department offered to excuse him from matches, but he chose to stay with the squad. In the dressing room he grew emotional again, thanking team-mates and acknowledging the support of fans and staff. He voiced confidence that his father can improve as he reports back to CT Moacyr Barbosa.

The goal was his sixth of the season, making him joint top scorer in the Vasco squad alongside Claudio Spinelli and Thiago Mendes. His attacking contributions have been decisive in the team’s knockout ties under Pedro Emanuel. The group now switch focus to the next challenges, with the player continuing on the right.

Source: PaponaColina

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