Vasco and Diniz’s personal challenge: A night to break a double curse | OneFootball

Coach Fernando Diniz has become known as a “taboo breaker” at Vasco da Gama, but two uncomfortable droughts still persist and will be at stake in the derby against Fluminense. Monday’s match at Maracanã is an opportunity for the coach to break two negative records, both personal and for the club, backed by a recent history of impressive achievements.

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The search for the first derby win

The first and most personal of the taboos is Diniz’s quest for his first victory in a derby as Vasco’s coach. In six matches against Rio rivals, the coach has accumulated three draws and three defeats. The most traumatic of these was the 4-0 thrashing by Botafogo in 2021, which sealed the team’s fate in that year’s Série B.

The long drought at Maracanã against the rival

The second challenge is even greater. Vasco has not won at Maracanã in 13 matches. The record is even worse when the opponent is Fluminense: the last victory over the Tricolor at the stadium was in 2019. Interestingly, in that Taça Guanabara final, Fluminense’s coach was none other than Diniz himself.

Despite the negative numbers, fan confidence is high, reflected in the more than 40,000 tickets already sold. The hope is based on the fact that Diniz has been breaking long droughts. Under his command, Vasco beat a São Paulo rival away from home after almost eight years, defeated goalkeeper Cássio for the first time, delivered a 6-0 thrashing that hadn’t happened in 17 years in the Brasileirão, and beat Fortaleza as visitors after 22 years.

The team is enjoying a great moment in the Brasileirão – Photo: Kid Júnior/SVM

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