São Paulo beats Vasco at São Januário and gets closer to the top seven in the Brazilian Championship.

Summary: São Paulo defeated Vasco 2-0 at São Januário in the 31st round of the Brasileirão, taking 8th place and getting closer to the G7, dreaming of a spot in the 2026 Libertadores.

In a direct confrontation, São Paulo defeated Vasco 2-0 at São Januário in the 31st round of the Brasileirão , dreaming of a spot in the 2026 Libertadores Cup. The goals that secured the three points came from Lucas Moura, who converted a penalty in the final stretch of the first half, and Luiz Gustavo, in the second half.

With this result, São Paulo now has 44 points, three less than Fluminense , currently in seventh place, who lost to Ceará. Vasco da Gama, in turn, remains on 42 points, in 9th place.

Cruz-Maltino's next match will be against arch-rival Botafogo , on Wednesday (5), at 7:30 pm (Brasília time), at Nilton Santos. Coach Hernán Crespo's team will return to the field on the same day, but at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), against Flamengo , at Vila Belmiro.

Penalty on the Hill

With the crowd buzzing with excitement, the home team pressed forward and created danger through Tchê Tchê. The midfielder attempted a shot, but it was easily saved by goalkeeper Rafael. Coutinho then took a corner kick into the box, and Rayan headed the ball against the post, the rebound falling to Robert Renan. The defender shot, but the Tricolor goalkeeper made the save.

In another good moment for Vasco, Tchê Tchê reappeared as a surprise element and attempted a shot, but Rafael made another save and avoided danger. São Paulo 's best chance in the first forty-five minutes came from Tapia, who took advantage of Bobadilla's cross to shoot at goal, but Léo Jardim made a fine save.

Still in the first half, Andrés Gómez got the rebound and took a long-range shot. His first attempt hit Nuno Moreira, while his second attempt went towards the corner, forcing a great save from the goalkeeper. In the final minutes, Paulo Henrique conceded a penalty against Arboleda. Lucas Moura took the penalty and opened the scoring.

Tricolor secures the three points.

After the break, Nuno Moreira passed to Andrés Gómez on the right, who had the freedom to roll the ball back to Coutinho. The number 10 then tried a shot towards the corner, but it went wide. In another good attack, the number 11 appeared unmarked on the right to try a shot, but Rafael again appeared and caught the ball.

In the Tricolor's counter-attack, Maílton lifted the ball into the edge of the six-yard box, but Cuesta cleared it with his head. Following that, Sabino attempted a shot from outside the area, but Léo Jardim parried it away. Then, Rigoni stole the ball at the edge of the area, advanced, and attempted a placed shot, but sent it wide.

Faced with the disadvantage, coach Fernando Diniz opted to fill the team with attackers, but the Rio de Janeiro team conceded spaces. In this sense, Ferreirinha invaded the area and crossed for Luiz Gustavo to head in and extend the score.

VASCO 2 x 0 SÃO PAULO

Brazilian Championship - Round 31

Location: São Januário, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

Date and time: November 2nd, 2025 (Sunday), at 8:30 PM (Brasilia time)

Goals: Lucas Moura 51'/1st half (0-1); Luís Gustavo 41'/2nd half (0-2)

Vasco: Léo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, Cuesta, Robert Renan and Lucas Piton (David 41'/2nd half); Cauan Barros (Matheus França 12'/2nd half), Tchê Tchê (GB 31'/2nd half) and Coutinho; Andrés Gómez, Nuno Moreira (Vegetti 12'/2nd half) and Rayan. Coach: Fernando Diniz.

São Paulo: Rafael; Alan Franco, Arboleda and Sabino; ​​Maílton (Ferraresi 38'/2nd half), Pablo Maia, Bobadilla (Alisson 27'/2nd half), Marcos Antônio (Luiz Gustavo 27'/2nd half) and Enzo Díaz; Lucas Moura (Rigoni 20'/2nd half) and Tapia (Ferreira 20'/2nd half).

Referee: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (GO)

Assistants: Marcia Bezerra Lopes Caetano (RO) and Leone Carvalho Rocha (GO)

VAR: Wagner Reway (SC)

Yellow cards: Paulo Henrique and Nuno Moreira (VAS); Enzo Díaz and Alan Franco (SP)

Red Cards: -

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