In a game marked by an excess of passing errors and little creativity, the first clash of the Copa do Brasil decision between Corinthians and Vasco ended goalless, this Wednesday (17), in Itaquera.
At Neo Química Arena, Corinthians’ home, the 0-0 draw kept the dispute open, which will be defined in Rio de Janeiro, next Sunday (21), at Maracanã, starting at 6pm.
In the event of a new equality in the second duel, this season’s champion will be known after a penalty shootout — this is how, in fact, the two teams reached the final. In the semi-final, Corinthians beat Cruzeiro, while Vasco eliminated Fluminense, both in penalties.
If the two finalists repeat the performance they had in São Paulo in Rio, the possibility is great.
Marked by balance and few clear scoring chances, the first half of the decision had Vasco betting on possession of the ball, while Corinthians explored set pieces. With the defenses well positioned, however, both teams found it difficult to complete their offensive actions.
Even so, there were two goals disallowed for offside. First, the visitors scared the Corinthians fans by finding the net with Rayan, who came face to face with Hugo Souza, in the 18th minute. The home team’s response came at 25, after a free kick from Garro in the area, a deflection from Yuri Alberto and a finish from Memphis Depay in the small area.
With both moves invalidated, the first half ended with no successful finish for both sides — a reflection of the excess of passing errors.
After the break, the home team tried to be more present in the attacking field, but it was the visitors who almost opened the scoring.
In the 22nd minute, Vasco had the best chance of the game, when midfielder Barros rose higher than the defense and headed the ball against the post. It was one of the rare moments of emotion in the final stage, which was also marked by a lack of passing precision and creativity from both teams.
With the millimetric error, the Rio team ended the match without any successful shots in the match despite having had more shots on goal, with 12 attempts. Corinthians had nine, two of which were correct, but none of them required great performance from goalkeeper Léo Jardim.
It wasn’t what the Corinthians fans expected. With the stadium full, supporting the team from the beginning of the match, fans expected a more dominant stance from Dorival Júnior’s team. Above all due to the presence of the attacking trio of Rodrigo Garro, Memphis Depay and Yuri Alberto, who played little together in the final stretch of the season due to injuries to the Argentine and the Dutchman.
This time, however, the trio was not inspired and neither were they able to break through Vasco’s defense. In the final stage, after being substituted in the 38th minute, Depay left the pitch visibly irritated by Dorival’s choice to take him out to put Dieguinho on the field.
From the bench, the Dutchman saw his teammates continue to struggle to put up pressure in the final minutes and avoid a draw.
After the match, midfielder Maycon stated that Corinthians ended up surprised by Vasco’s attitude, especially in the first half.
“Our team prepared for another type of game and we were unable to apply it. Vasco was successful, but we have a very good capacity to arrive in Rio de Janeiro and win the title. It’s not the result we wanted, we would have liked to win”, he stated.
Striker Rayan highlighted that, despite not winning, Vasco will now have the advantage of playing alongside their fans.
“We had a chance to score here, it was offside. On Sunday, our fans will be there, tickets are sold out. God willing, we will win the victory and the title there”, he highlighted.
