Hero in Pará, Spinelli shares Vasco win credit with Renato | OneFootball

Argentine center-forward Claudio Spinelli was the standout player in Vasco’s 2-0 win over Paysandu on Tuesday night at Mangueirão. The match, valid for the first leg of the fifth round of the Copa do Brasil, marked the long-awaited end of the striker’s frustrating goal drought. He found the net twice and secured an excellent advantage for the Rio de Janeiro side in the lucrative knockout tournament.

After the final whistle, the player made a point of sharing the credit for the positive result with coach Renato Gaúcho. The experienced manager had been choosing striker David as the starter in recent matches, but decided to give the No. 77 a new opportunity in this decisive clash. The player acknowledged the importance of that strong vote of confidence and showed great gratitude as he explained how he currently feels:

+ With two goals from Spinelli, Vasco beat Paysandu and take the advantage in the Copa do Brasil

End of the drought and battle for a spot in Vasco’s attack

The night’s top scorer ended a tough run of five straight matches without scoring a single goal while wearing the heavy shirt of the Cruz-Maltino club. The last time the center-forward had celebrated a goal was in the heroic 3-2 comeback win over strong rivals Fluminense in an exciting derby in the Brazilian Championship. With the two goals scored in the North of the country, he reached a total of four goals in 13 matches played this year.

The battle for a permanent place leading the attack remains completely open and promises to be fierce. The Argentine mentioned the strong internal competition with his teammates who play in the same position, highlighting the mutual respect and healthy competitiveness in daily training to help Vasco win. The striker said:

Next challenges in the national league and cups

With his confidence fully restored, the squad now needs to quickly shift its tactical focus to the country’s main league competition. Vasco’s next and very tough challenge of the season will be against Corinthians, in a match valid for the 13th round of the Brasileirão. The much-anticipated interstate clash is scheduled for this Sunday, with kickoff set for 4 p.m., though the venue has not yet been defined because of a punishment imposed on the São Paulo side.

The comfortable situation in the knockout tournament brings plenty of calm for the coaching staff to focus on the Brazilian Championship. The second leg against Paysandu will only take place on May 13, a Wednesday, at 7 p.m. The decisive match that will determine who advances will be played at the traditional São Januário stadium, where Vasco can lose by up to one goal and still secure the desired qualification mathematically and stay alive in the title race.

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