Vitor Hugo scores, Atlético beat Vasco at São Januário, into top half | OneFootball

Atlético earned an important victory on Sunday afternoon (31), beating Vasco 1-0 at São Januário Stadium in a match valid for the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship. The winning goal for the black-and-white side was scored by center-back Vitor Hugo in the first half.

With the result, Galo reached 24 points and climbed to 9th place in the standings. Vasco, meanwhile, remains in a delicate situation, staying on 20 points in 17th place, inside the relegation zone.

Atlético overcomes absences to secure all three points

Coach Eduardo Domínguez had to deal with a series of absences when putting the team together. Alan Franco, Preciado, and Minda are on international duty with Ecuador, while Júnior Alonso is representing Paraguay. Gustavo Scarpa remains under medical care, and Tressoldi was suspended after picking up his third yellow card.

To make matters worse, Colombian forward Roger Martínez Cassierra felt pain in the adductor muscle of his right thigh during the warm-up and was ruled out just minutes before kickoff.

Given the circumstances, the coach sent out the following lineup: Everson; Román, Lyanco and Vitor Hugo; Natanael, Perez, Victor Hugo, Bernard and Guilherme Arana; Cuello and Reinier.

Set-piece goal gives Atlético the edge

Driven on by their fans, Vasco started the match on the front foot and controlled the action in the opening minutes. Atlético, however, managed to level things out after the first ten minutes and began to exploit the spaces left by the Rio side.

The black-and-white team's best chance came from a Reinier shot that forced goalkeeper Léo Jardim into a great save. Shortly afterward, in the 32nd minute, Bernard delivered a corner from the right and found Vitor Hugo in the box. The defender rose above his marker and powered a header home to open the scoring at São Januário.

Everson shines and seals the win

In the second half, the match became more open. Needing a result, Vasco pushed their lines forward and left space for Atlético counterattacks. Galo had at least three clear chances to extend the lead but failed to turn them into goals.

After Bernard and Victor Hugo went off, the Minas Gerais side lost attacking intensity and came under greater pressure from the home team. Vasco grew into the match and created good chances, but they came up against an inspired Everson.

The Atlético goalkeeper made at least three great saves in the closing stages and was crucial in securing the 1-0 win and all three points for the club from Minas Gerais.

Next fixture…

Atlético will now have a break from official matches due to the World Cup pause. The team’s next challenge will only come on July 22, when they host Bahia at Arena MRV in the 19th round of the Brazilian Championship.

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