Volta Redonda eye Carioca final return after 20 years as Vasco await | OneFootball

Volta Redonda visit Vasco in the Campeonato Carioca quarter-finals on Saturday, chasing progression and a first final since 2005.

Rodrigo Santana’s side finished third in Group B with 11 points from six games and only one defeat. They were the leading smaller club, above Botafogo and Flamengo in the overall table.

They have been frequent contenders, missing the knockouts only in 2022 and 2024. In 2023 they reached the semi-finals with 20 points, defeating Vasco and Fluminense, and Lelê was the competition’s second top scorer with 13 goals before moving to Fluminense. The club have been under the same executive leadership for 10 years, focusing on continuity and scouting.

Leonardo Dinelli, known as Zada and now the club’s football manager, said: “Even outside the capital, Volta Redonda have developed a clear philosophy, to be big where we are. That conviction has made the club a reference in Sul Fluminense, uniting community, supporters and sponsors, and strengthening Estádio Raulino de Oliveira as a pillar of the project.” He told Globo.com. Dinelli won the Copa Libertadores with Vasco in 1998 and also played for Fluminense.

The work delivered in 2025, when Volta Redonda competed in Série B, the best sporting performance in the club’s history. The last small Rio club in the second tier had been Macaé in 2015, who finished 17th. Volta Redonda were then relegated to Série C, ending penultimate on 36 points.

Forward Ygor Catatau has returned after a betting suspension and leads their goal threat as they aim for the showpiece. Kick-off is 21:30, Brasília time, at São Januário to decide who reaches the semi-finals.

Source: Globo.com