Vasco and Botafogo could only play out to a 1-1 draw in São Januário on Sunday night. Both sides had to settle for a point apiece in the fourth round of the Carioca Championship.
Botafogo mostly dominated play and eventually got the lead in a fortunate manner, following an own goal from Zeca in the 35th minute.
Botafogo missed many more chances to double their lead and they only had themselves to blame when Carlinhos leveled matters with three minutes to go. Having only come on to replace Andrey in the 71st minute, he was able to make his mark in just about 15 minutes.
However, the shared points did not change much for either team. Botafogo remain in fifth position, with six points. They also missed out on a chance to move up to the qualification spots. Elsewhere, Vasco remain without a win in the competition and find themselves at a lowly 11th place, with two points.
Goalkeeper Lucão was one of the standout names for Vasco as he made a number of saves to keep his side in the game. However, he gave a rather confusing post-match interview. Speaking after the game, he said: “The draw was everyone’s dedication. I think that going backwards made it very difficult. So we had to change the strategy in the second half to go up to the guys. But we fought a lot in the second half. The second goal did not come, but the tie was not good, but it was also good”.
For their next games, both teams will take to the pitch on Wednesday for the fifth round of the Carioca. Vasco will take on Macaé while Botafogo will welcome Flamengo to their home turf.
