Vasco boss defends top scorer after draw: "Football is errors"

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Papo na Colina

·15 September 2025

Vasco boss defends top scorer after draw: "Football is errors"

Coach Fernando Diniz gave a sincere and detailed analysis of Vasco’s frustrating 2-2 draw with Ceará. In his press conference, the coach admitted that “clear individual mistakes” cost them the victory. However, he also made a strong case for keeping striker Pablo Vegetti on the field and said he hopes the frustration will serve as fuel for the team.

+ Understand how, even without winning, Vasco ended the round in a better situation

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Coach admits “clearer individual mistakes”

Diniz did not shy away from responsibility and acknowledged the errors that led to Ceará’s goals. He mentioned Paulo Henrique’s “decision” in the play that resulted in the equalizer during stoppage time, but was measured in his comments. The coach stated:

“Today there was a clearer individual mistake than on other occasions. (…) Football is a game of mistakes. Today we made mistakes that we don’t usually make.”

He also mentioned the physical and emotional exhaustion from the derby against Botafogo as a factor that impacted the team.

PH made a mistake in the last play of the match – Photo: Thiago Ribeiro/AGIF

Diniz justifies keeping the center forward on

A target of criticism, Pablo Vegetti was defended by his boss. Diniz explained why he didn’t substitute the Argentine, even with the team needing more mobility. He declared:

“I didn’t see any reason to take Vegetti out of the game today, we needed someone to score goals. (…) He’s a guy who contributes a lot tactically, in the air, and he’s a player I believe in. That doesn’t mean he won’t leave (the starting lineup).”

Vegetti had another poor match – Photo: André Durão

Vasco’s coach hopes frustration will spark a positive reaction

Despite the poor result, Diniz looked for a positive takeaway. He hopes the pain of the draw will serve as a lesson and motivation, just as the defeat to Corinthians spurred the team on for the derby.

“I think the result is very frustrating. But it has to have some kind of positive impact,” he said, already looking ahead to the clash with Flamengo next Sunday.

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