Vasco fans slam Fernando Diniz after loss to Mirassol | OneFootball

Vasco was defeated 2-0 by Mirassol on Tuesday (2), at São Januário, in a match valid for the 37th round of the Brazilian Championship. The result once again raised the temperature among the fans, who complained about the team's performance and the decisions of coach Fernando Diniz throughout the match.

As soon as the game ended, social media was flooded with criticism. Many Vasco fans pointed out that the team showed a decline in performance in recent weeks and attributed the poor run to Diniz's choices, highlighting that the coach had been outsmarted tactically by the opposing coach, Rafael Guanaes.

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Mirassol went straight to the Libertadores group stage by beating Vasco (Photo: PETER Illiciev/Agencia Enquadrar/Gazeta Press)

How the game went

The match started at a slow pace. The heavy rain that fell over Rio de Janeiro before the ball rolled made the field heavy, which required more patience from both teams in building plays. Mirassol found spaces mainly in transitions through the middle, while Vasco tried to advance with individual plays from Rayan and Andrés Gómez.

Diniz's team tried to press the São Paulo team's ball exit in the first half but found it difficult to overcome the defensive block set up by Guanaes. On the other side, Mirassol worked the ball with short passes to try to advance.

After the break, Vasco was better and created opportunities, especially on the right side, with Rayan and Paulo Henrique. But the scenario changed when Lucas Piton injured his left knee at 18 minutes and left the field, being replaced by Puma Rodríguez, improvised at left-back.

Shortly after, Mirassol exploited precisely that sector. In a quick counterattack, Carlos Eduardo found Renato Marques in the area, who shot into the corner of Léo Jardim and opened the scoring at 24 minutes.

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Fernando Diniz in Vasco vs. Mirassol for the Brazilian Championship (Photo: Affonso Andrade/Agência F8/Gazeta Press)

Diniz responded with the entries of David and Tchê Tchê, and Vasco began to dominate the actions. Coutinho gained volume in playmaking, and David almost equalized with a cross shot that grazed the left post.

But the old football adage appeared again: those who don't score, concede. At 46 minutes, Mirassol executed another transition through the middle. Cristian launched Carlos Eduardo behind Robert Renan; the forward dribbled Léo Jardim and scored the second, sealing the 2-0 at São Januário and securing the São Paulo club in the 2026 Libertadores group stage.

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