Chile heroics inspire Vasco to chase continental win | OneFootball

The return to Chilean territory this Wednesday (06) brings back glorious memories and rekindles the enormous pride of Vasco's supporters. The clash against Audax Italiano, valid for the fourth round of the Copa Sudamericana group stage, marks the official reunion with the country that served as the backdrop for the greatest achievement of the historic team known as the Victory Express, the world’s first and acclaimed unbeaten continental champion.

The original expedition to the neighboring country took place in the South American Championship of 1948, when all the matches of the highly contested competition were held at the National Stadium, in the charming city of Santiago. Invited as a guest of honor for being the reigning unbeaten champion of the Carioca Championship, Vasco traveled to represent the country in the important tournament organized by Colo-Colo, facing the leading South American clubs of the time in a single round-robin format.

Vasco, champion of the 1948 South American Championship in Chile — Photo: Archive

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Unprecedented title in South America crowns Vasco generation

The club’s historic title was confirmed in the final round after a hard-fought goalless draw against powerhouse River Plate, the Argentine team that had star player Di Stéfano in its squad. The pioneering trophy returned to Brazil, and the flawless campaign was officially recognized by CONMEBOL in 1996, once and for all cementing the immense international stature of the club of Portuguese origin.

Beyond that pioneering international triumph, the club’s overall record against Chilean teams away from home is highly favorable and brings extra confidence. In exactly fifteen matches played so far in various competitions, the overall tally stands at six wins, five draws, and only four defeats, showing the strong power of the cross of Malta shirt when playing away on Andean soil.

Overseas record boosts team ahead of decisive clash

Today’s match against Audax Italiano will be the sixteenth official meeting for the Rio-based club playing in Chile. Vasco’s last visit to the neighboring country came during the exciting Libertadores campaign in the 2018 season, an occasion marked by excellent tactical performances, with two emphatic wins in the preliminary and group stages of the coveted elite competition.

In that praised recent campaign, the Vasco squad recorded its biggest away win in the history of the sacred tournament by defeating Universidad Concepción four-nil. Later, the Rio club returned to Andean soil in the group stage and beat strong Universidad de Chile two-nil, confirming its great tradition of achieving excellent results in the hostile grounds of continental rivals.

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