Diniz calls Vasco draw "frustrating", sets sights on Flamengo derby | OneFootball

At São Januário, Vasco conceded a 2-2 draw to Ceará in stoppage time, during the 23rd round of the Brasileirão this Sunday. Fernando Diniz described the result as “frustrating.”

“The result is very frustrating. But it has to have some kind of positive impact. Just like the Corinthians result did for Botafogo. We have to work and improve, there’s nothing else to do,” said the coach in a press conference after the match.

Vasco started off pressing, with Coutinho opening the scoring in the 11th minute, but soon conceded the equalizer to Ceará, with Galeano taking advantage of a rebound from goalkeeper Léo Jardim in the 15th minute. In the second half, Rodriguinho was sent off in the 20th minute, leaving Ceará with one less player and giving Vasco the chance to press forward.

With a man advantage, Cuesta put Vasco ahead again in the 34th minute of the second half, but Pedro Henrique leveled the score at 49 minutes.

“Football is a game of mistakes. Today we made mistakes we don’t usually make (…) We regret it, it’s very sad and it frustrates everyone. Especially the fans. The fans have every right to be sad. Everyone should be feeling this,” he added.

Diniz sets his sights on the derby against Flamengo

The Vasco coach also spoke about the next match for the Gigante da Colina. The team will visit Flamengo this Sunday at 5:30 pm (Brasília time) at Maracanã, for the 24th round of the Brasileirão. According to data from Ogol, Vasco has not beaten the Rubro-Negro in eleven matches.

“We have a week to work. We’ll recover quickly and try to give our best. We want to play a match within our standards, like we did against Botafogo,” he said.

Vasco’s current form

With the draw, the Gigante da Colina remains close to the relegation zone. The team has 23 points, just one more than Vitória, who are in 17th place and the first team in the Z4.

Vasco’s upcoming matches

With the Copa do Brasil only being played in December, Vasco is focusing its attention on the Brazilian Championship.

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