Fernando Diniz: “We played badly” after another Vasco defeat

In partnership with

Papo na Colina

·20 novembre 2025

Fernando Diniz: “We played badly” after another Vasco defeat

Vasco is going through a turbulent moment in the Brazilian Championship. After stringing together four consecutive wins, the team now has four straight losses. The most recent came this Wednesday, when the Cruz-Maltino lost 2-0 to Grêmio at the Arena, with goals from Carlos Vinicius and Dodi, both in the second half.

With this result, Vasco remains at 42 points and drops to 12th place. The next match will be on Sunday at 4 p.m. against Bahia at Arena Fonte Nova.

OneFootball Video

+ Tchê Tchê admits crisis at Vasco and sends a strong message

Fernando Diniz in Grêmio 2 x 0 Vasco for the 2025 Brasileirão: the team's fourth consecutive defeat in the competition — Photo: Maxi Franzoi/AGIF

“Technical error” and criticism of performance

In the press conference, Fernando Diniz was direct in evaluating the team's performance. Asked about what he was able to work on during the FIFA break, the coach listed the adjustments made, but admitted that nothing worked as expected in Porto Alegre.

“We worked on ball exit, build-up, lower defense, high, medium, and low blocks. Today we made a lot of technical errors. We lost a lot of second balls and that determined the result.”

Diniz classified Vasco's performance as poor, especially in the first 45 minutes.

“We played wrong and badly. Especially in the first half. In the second, we came back more balanced, but conceded a goal from a ball that was at our feet. Grêmio had a much better first half than Vasco.”

According to the coach, Grêmio had 16 shots in the first half, highlighting the dominance of the team from Rio Grande do Sul.

Change with Rayan and Vegetti’s return

Regarding offensive choices, Diniz explained why he used Rayan on the wing and once again started Vegetti.

“Rayan's best play was when he played as a winger. The space for him today was on the side. I don't think that if he played inside, he would have had a better game. He wasn't stuck marking the full-back. The defeat has nothing to do with his position.”

The coach emphasized that the strategy would not harm the forward's performance and countered criticism about possible defensive responsibilities.

Not thinking about the Copa do Brasil

Diniz also dismissed any connection between the bad phase and the next Copa do Brasil match.

“It doesn't impact anything, because we're not thinking about the Copa do Brasil right now. It's about resting, recovering, and focusing only on Bahia.”

He acknowledged, however, that the string of defeats could affect confidence, but called for unity and internal correction of mistakes.

+ Check out the best moments of Grêmio 2×0 Vasco