Vasco face Santa Fe test after River shock in Sudamericana quarter-finals | OneFootball

Vasco face a long trip and a storied tie in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals. Independiente Santa Fe advanced by ousting River Plate on penalties in Argentina, and await Pedro Emanuel's side.

According to PaponaColina, Santa Fe bring several familiar names to Brazilian fans. Captain Hugo Rodallega, 41, formerly of Bahia in 2021-2022, leads their 2026 scoring with 18 goals.

Another subplot is winger Emerson Rodríguez. Recently signed, he spent 2024 at Vasco, playing 21 matches and scoring two goals, and now offers pace in the Colombians' attack.

The team are coached by Uruguayan Pablo Repetto, renowned for guiding Independiente del Valle to the 2016 Libertadores final. His CV includes spells at LDU, Olimpia and Nacional.

Santa Fe's domestic form has been mixed. They finished seventh in the Apertura regular phase and reached the play-offs, with Junior Barranquilla champions. Early in the Clausura they are 13th on five points.

Internationally, they dropped from the 2026 Libertadores after finishing third in a group with Corinthians and Platense. In the Sudamericana, they beat Caracas in the knockout play-off to reach the last 16.

Home matches are at Nemesio Camacho, El Campín, at roughly 2,600 metres. The 36,343-capacity venue is due a 2027 rebuild into a 50,000-seat arena with a retractable roof to host Conmebol finals.

The clubs have met only twice, both in the 1996 Copa Conmebol, Vasco winning 2-1 at the Maracanã and losing 1-0 at El Campín. The ties are scheduled between 8 and 17 September.

Source: PaponaColina

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