Vasco stun Fluminense late, lead Copa do Brasil semi | OneFootball

A goal by Vegetti, in stoppage time of the second half, gave Vasco the advantage in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil. On Thursday night, at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, in the first leg, the Cruzmaltino overcame Fluminense 2-1. Serna opened the scoring in the first half for the Tricolor. But Rayan leveled the match at the start of the second half, before the comeback was sealed with a goal from the Argentine striker.

Match Situation

The finalist will be decided on Sunday at 8:30 pm (Brasília time), when Vasco will have the advantage of a draw in the second leg at Maracanã. To qualify, the Tricolor must win by two or more goals. If they win by just one goal, Fluminense will force a penalty shootout.

The winner of this match will face whoever advances from the Corinthians vs Cruzeiro clash, which takes place on Sunday, a bit earlier, at 6 pm (Brasília time), in São Paulo. In the first leg, in Minas Gerais, Corinthians won 1-0.

📋 Match Summary

⚫⚪VASCO 2 X 1 FLUMINENSE🔴🟢

🏆 Competition: Copa do Brasil (Semifinal – first leg) 🏟️ Venue: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro 📅 Date: December 11, 2025 (Thursday) ⏰ Time: 8:00 pm (Brasília time) 🟨 Yellow Cards: Léo Jardim and Vegetti (Vasco)

Refereeing

Referee: Raphael Claus (SP) Assistants: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP) and Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP) VAR: Daniel Nobre Bins (RS)

Goals

⚽ Kevin Serna, 22’ 1st half (Fluminense) ⚽ Rayan, 4′ 2nd half (Vasco) ⚽ Vegetti, 48′ 2nd half (Vasco)

VASCO

Léo Jardim, Paulo Henrique, Carlos Cuesta, Robert Renan and Puma Rodríguez; Thiago Mendes (Hugo Moura), Barros and Philippe Coutinho; Andrés Gómez, Nuno Moreira (Vegetti) and Rayan Coach: Fernando Diniz

FLUMINENSE

Fábio, Samuel, Thiago Silva, Freytes and Renê; Martinelli, Nonato (Hércules) and Lucho Acosta (Paulo Henrique Ganso); Yefferson Soteldo (Keno), Kevin Serna and Everaldo Coach: Luis Zubeldía

How the match went

The match started at a frantic pace and in the very first minute Freytes lost the ball, but Andrés Gómez couldn’t capitalize, finishing from a tight angle. Five minutes later, Lucho Acosta played a one-two with Serna and shot over the crossbar, coming very close.

The back-and-forth continued and at 15 minutes, Puma Rodríguez broke into the box and beat Fábio, but Thiago Silva prevented the goal. Fluminense’s response came at the 21st minute, opening the scoring. Everaldo was played through and dribbled past Léo Jardim outside the box. The goalkeeper committed a foul, but Raphael Claus, correctly, did not send him off, understanding that the Tricolor striker would not have a clear goal opportunity due to defensive cover. But from the resulting free kick, the goal came from a set play. René crossed, Thiago Silva headed, Serna controlled the ball inside the box and shot into the left corner of Vasco’s goalkeeper.

From then on, Fluminense dropped back, waiting for a counterattack. They invited Vasco forward but closed down the spaces, making chances rarer. At 31 minutes, Barros received from Nuno and shot just wide of the goalkeeper, sending the game to halftime with Fluminense in the lead.

Just four minutes into the second half, Vasco equalized. Puma Rodríguez crossed from the left, Nuno Moreira let the ball go through, and Rayan smashed it into the net from the edge of the six-yard box. The goal fired up the Vasco team, who almost turned the game around four minutes later. Rayan crossed from the right and Puma Rodríguez shot, forcing a good save from Fábio.

Vasco remained more dangerous and, at 24 minutes, came very close. Philippe Coutinho took a corner and Puma Rodríguez headed against the post. After so much pressure, Vasco turned the game around at 47 minutes. After a great play by Rayan, Andrés Gómez crossed from the left and Vegetti, between the defenders, headed in to seal the score.

Second Leg

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