Vasco secured qualification for the Copa do Brasil semifinals by beating Atletico-PR on penalties. In a press conference, coach Rafael Paiva highlighted the strength of the Cruzmaltina team in overturning negative scores to achieve their goals.
This Wednesday, Vasco qualified for the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil after beating Athletico Paranaense on penalties, 5-4. In Curitiba, Furacão responded to the 2-1 imposed by Cruzmaltino in the first match. Even with one and two goals down, the guests managed to get the result and win the match on penalties.
During the post-match press conference, coach Rafael Paiva celebrated the standings and highlighted the team’s greatest strengths. For him, the ability to suffer and still continue to evolve and achieve good results was the group’s main strength.
— We have suffered a lot, in terms of results, goals, sometimes with fewer players, like today. This has guided our work, suffering a little more than we would like. But it also makes us raise the level. We are suffering, but increasingly managing to get results. Today we did not get the victory, but the ranking did. We are fighting and working to evolve with Vasco. We have been successful in the Brazilian championship and the Copa do Brasil. We suffer, but we achieve goals. I think this is the way to achieve a little more serenity. The most important thing is that we are evolving. – said the coach.
Paiva also highlighted the team’s preparation for the possible penalty shootout. According to the coach, the team knew they could face adversity in the return match and, therefore, trained the charges with the entire group.
— We worked a lot on penalties this week, not only with the best takers, because we knew it would be a very tiring game. It would require changes and we knew they would happen. Sforza was yellow, but he was able to physically sustain the game well. He also took penalties, so it was easier to keep him on the pitch. Victor Luis is a player who has an above-average set piece. Vegetti is our official scout. Puma always makes decisions and also takes penalties. We had to control the intensity to stay alive in the game and above all maintain the defensive strategy. But we knew that towards the end of the game we could also add players to help us with penalties. It’s a puzzle that you have to solve with absurd pressure and little time. We work hard for this and we also know the quality of Léo Jardim. He can hardly get through five shots without saving one, so we were confident that we would qualify. – he completed.
Watch other excerpts from the press conference:
RAYAN EXPULSION
— We spoke more with him now, after the match. We know how difficult it is for the player who leaves, who feels a huge responsibility. Rayan knows this responsibility. Although he is young, he is an experienced athlete, a player of the Brazilian national team. We know that he is in the moment of maturity. These are mistakes that cannot easily be made. We knew that the match would be very heated, due to everything that happened in the first leg, due to the competitive phase, the knockout stage. I think he was unable to control himself and really made a mistake, but I am sure that he is an athlete with a lot of potential. Despite the mistake, he is on the path to evolution and I think that what matters is the spirit of the group and how much we sacrifice for it. We knew that if he did not get to the ranking it would be a big burden for him. So it was an additional sacrifice that we made for him.
SUBSTITUTIONS IN THE SECOND PHASE
— We returned from the break with Emerson (Rodríguez), because we knew we would need a more powerful player. We could have sacrificed a lot on Payet, who was playing very well. He is an athlete who is returning to his best in the last few games, including today, but he needed someone who could score on that side of the pitch. The players on the wings suffered a lot, both David and Piton, they all felt the intensity a lot. So we decided to change the athletes, we put Leandrinho who was very successful. Piton felt his foot a little and we had to add Victor Luis. PH was also already weakened and Puma is a player who has a great penalty. In the end we resisted a little longer, because we knew that someone could get a cramp and not come back. Hugo also sacrificed a lot and we joined Mateus Cocão. The important thing is that everyone did very well and managed to finish the job. This shows the strength of the group and we are very happy to have so many athletes with the ability to change the game.
STAFF IN THE POSITION?
— I already feel like the coach of Vasco. I have been here for a long time and I have already managed to show some work here. We no longer have internal conversations about being interim. We are managing the club in the best possible way, together with Pedrinho, Felipe, Marcelo and the athletes. We have tried to save the greatness of Vasco. So I feel like I am the coach of the team. The important thing is that we are building better things for the team.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
