Around the world, there are players with impressive career records in football, others who have won occasionally, and some who have never tasted the joys of a title with their team or national selection. Dimitri Payet belongs to this third category, but that could change this season if Vasco da Gama manages to win the Copa do Brasil, a competition in which they have just taken a step toward reaching the semi-finals.
On this Thursday night into Friday, Vasco da Gama welcomed Athletico Paranaense to their home ground of São Januário for the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, a competition that the club has won only once in its history, in 2011 against Coritiba in the final (1-0 in the first leg, 3-2 in the second leg).
READ MORE
++ Brazil’s squad for the qualifiers, with Estêvão Willian as the main new addition
++ What did Dorival Júnior say about Neymar’s return to the Brazilian national team?
++ Belém selected as one of the host cities for 2027 Women’s World Cup
Match summary
Starting as a starter, Dimitri Payet did not really manage to influence the match, and even though he had a few chances, it was after his exit that his teammates began to take control of the game. They had been caught off guard in the first half, conceding the first goal of the match in the 30th minute through Christian. The players of Vasco then shook the net twice in quick succession at the end of the match (José Luis Rodriguez in the 80th minute and Hugo Moura in the 90+3rd minute) and ultimately won this first leg of the Copa do Brasil with a score of 2-1. It is worth noting that both teams received a red card in this match after a scuffle at the end.
Thus, as last week in the league against the same Athletico Paranaense, Vasco da Gama won in the end with a score of 2-1 after conceding a goal in the first half. This performance highlights the players’ motivation not to give up and could even mark a certain signature of their coach Rafael Paiva. As for the next steps, Payet and his teammates will need to replicate this performance, if not do better, on Athletico’s ground to hope for qualification to the semi-finals. The match is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, at 1:30 AM.
