How Vasco rebuilt their side to reach the Copa do Brasil final | OneFootball

Vasco have reached the Copa do Brasil final after a mid-season reset that rewired recruitment and style. Pedrinho and Felipe corrected course, and the arrivals of Admar Lopes and Fernando Diniz aligned the club around a front-foot approach.

According to Globo.com, six starters in the semi-final tie that eliminated Fluminense were not at the club in February. That core is expected to underpin Wednesday’s first leg against Corinthians in São Paulo.

Their campaign began under Fábio Carille against União Rondonópolis, with academy product Lukas Zuccarello and Alex Teixeira in the side. Reinforcements such as Nuno Moreira, Garré and Loide arrived afterwards.

The board admitted missteps in the first two windows and changed direction. Priorities were a centre-back, a midfielder and a winger, pairing João Victor and Tchê Tchê and moving Rayan centrally, which demanded another starting winger alongside Nuno Moreira.

With a limited budget, the club sought high-potential players out of favour on loans with options to buy. Andrés Gómez and Carlos Cuesta arrived late and made an immediate impact, while Cauan Barros and Robert Renan seized quarter-final chances against Botafogo.

Barros was the best player in both ties and Renan converted the decisive penalty. Thiago Mendes needed time to reach fitness, then earned a start against Internacional and kept his place, delivering two strong semi-finals. The rebuild rested on fitness, budget discipline and tactical fit.

Source: Globo.com