Vasco face daunting hoodoo at São Januário | OneFootball

Vasco takes the field on Friday (28th) for the most important match of the year, against Internacional. In addition to the crisis of five consecutive defeats, the team will have to overcome an uncomfortable taboo: the Gigante da Colina has not beaten the team from Rio Grande do Sul at São Januário since 2019.

+ Vasco remains in 13th place after draw between Inter and Santos

Three matches, three defeats

The recent record in Rio de Janeiro is harsh. Since the last victory, there have been three encounters at the Colina and three wins for Colorado. In 2024, under the command of Rafael Paiva, Vasco lost 1-0. In 2023, with Ramón Díaz (who now coaches the rival), another defeat, this time 2-1.

The scenario repeats itself in times of crisis. In 2023, the team was also fighting against relegation when they lost. Now, in 2025, the context is identical: the Cruz-Maltino desperately needs three points to escape the Z4.

The “Uncalibrated VAR” controversy

The most striking setback in this sequence happened in the Brasileirão of 2020 (played in 2021). On that occasion, Vasco lost 2-0 in a match tainted by the “uncalibrated VAR” controversy, which failed to draw the lines for Inter’s first goal.

The last time Vasco fans celebrated a home win against their rival was six years ago. In 2019, with goals from Andrey and Tiago Reis, Vasco won 2-1. Fernando Diniz will have the mission of reviving that winning spirit to save the year.

+ Follow Papo na Colina on social media: Thread, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Google News.

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