The more than 64 thousand fans who attended the Maracanã stadium on Thursday night (11) watched a great ball game that ended with Vasco’s 2-1 victory over Fluminense, in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil.
END OF GAME AT MARACANÃ! VASCO DA GAMA COMES AND WINS!
𝐆𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 IS AT AN ADVANTAGE IN THE SEARCH FOR THE FINAL! 💢
LET’S GO TOGETHER FOR THE CLASSIFICATION! ✌️💢
⚽ RAYAN
⚽ VEGETTI📸: Matheus Lima | #VascoDaGama#VASxflu#CopaDoBrasil2025 pic.twitter.com/L076puMlvo
— Vasco da Gama (@VascodaGama) December 12, 2025
With the triumph, guaranteed thanks to goals from strikers Rayan and Vegetti, Cruzmaltino reaches the final of the competition even in the event of a draw in the second leg, which will be played next Sunday (14) from 8pm (Brasília time). Team das Laranjeiras needs a two-goal victory to advance in regular time. A Tricolor triumph by just one goal difference takes the decision to penalties.
Flu opens the scoreboard
Vasco and Fluminense did not disappoint the fans who were at Maracanã on Thursday night. They had a very busy confrontation, with many opportunities created. Betting on the exchange of passes and the constant movement of their front men, the Laranjeiras team took control of the actions in the first minutes and started to create problems for goalkeeper Léo Jardim.
And the first good opportunity came in the sixth minute with Argentine midfielder Lucho Acosta, who, after a good collective effort, hit a shot that skimmed over the crossbar.
At 15, Vasco created a chance with full-back Puma Rodríguez. However, Fluminense was superior and opened the scoring in the 21st minute. Renê raised the ball in the area with a free kick. Thiago Silva headed the ball past Serna and the Colombian hit low to beat Léo Jardim.
End of first half. LET’S GO, FLUMINENSE! pic.twitter.com/LvQAMbQXSc
— Fluminense FC (@FluminenseFC) December 11, 2025
After opening the scoring, the team led by Argentine coach Luis Zubeldía retreated their lines, and started waiting for opportunities to counterattack at speed. Fernando Diniz’s team found it difficult to threaten goalkeeper Fábio.
Cruzmaltino turnaround
However, after the break the game changed its outlook. Vasco imposed itself and it didn’t take long to reach a draw. After six minutes, Colombian Andrés Gómez advanced from the left and crossed low into the middle of the area, where Portuguese Nuno Moreira punctured and the ball fell to Rayan, who hit a shot that ended in the corner of the goal defended by Fábio.
The equality on the scoreboard once again encouraged Cruzmaltino, who collected good opportunities to score against a Fluminense team who seemed more concerned with making time pass. And Vasco’s offensive momentum was rewarded in the 48th minute. Rayan controlled the ball in the middle and headed towards the goal. Midfielder Hércules took down the young striker, who got up quickly and passed it to Andrés, who lifted the ball into the area, where Vegetti headed the ball to guarantee the victory for the São Januário team.
