- Vasco progressed in five of the six CONMEBOL competition knockout ties in which they won the first leg away from home.
- The 'Cruzmaltino', who are unbeaten and have not conceded a goal in their last five home matches in this edition, head into Tuesday's decider at the Maracanã with a 1-0 lead from La Bombonera.
Adson's header at La Bombonera put Vasco da Gama in a position they have rarely found themselves in, but one that has almost always worked in their favour. According to Opta, before this CONMEBOL Sudamericana Semi-final, the 'Cruzmaltino' had won the away leg first in six CONMEBOL competition knockout ties and progressed in five of them. On Tuesday, at the Maracanã, a draw against Boca Juniors will be enough to add another to that tally.
The first of those ties came in the 1996 Copa CONMEBOL: a 2-0 victory over Emelec in Ecuador that was enough to secure a place in the Semi-finals despite a 1-0 defeat at São Januário. In the other four ties that ended in qualification, Vasco scored at least three goals away from home: 4-1 against River Plate in Buenos Aires in the 2000 Copa Mercosur, 3-1 against Deportes Concepción in Chile in the Round of 16 of the 2001 CONMEBOL Libertadores, 4-2 against Atlético Paranaense in Curitiba in the First Round of the 2007 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, and 4-0 against Universidad de Concepción, also in Chile, in Phase 2 of the 2018 CONMEBOL Libertadores. Vasco also won the return leg in all four ties.
The only tie against an Argentine club is the one that most closely resembles this week's scenario. In the Semi-finals of the 2000 CONMEBOL Mercosur, Vasco thrashed River Plate 4-1 at the Monumental, with goals from Romário, Júnior Baiano, Juninho Paulista and Pedrinho, before sealing the tie with a 1-0 victory at São Januário. Then came the Final against Palmeiras and the remarkable 4-3 comeback at Parque Antarctica, which secured the club's most recent international title. Pedrinho, who scored the fourth goal that night in Buenos Aires, is now Vasco's president.
The exception came in 1998, just a few months after Vasco had won the CONMEBOL Libertadores. In the Copa Interamericana, Vasco defeated D.C. United 1-0 in Washington but lost the return leg 2-0 in Fort Lauderdale, where they played as the home side, handing the title to the American club.
This time, the decisive match will take place in Rio de Janeiro, where Vasco have established an impressive home record. According to Opta, Vasco are unbeaten and have not conceded a goal in their last five home matches in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana, recording four wins and one draw. Outside the group stages, they have lost just one of their last 20 home matches in CONMEBOL competitions, with 15 wins and four draws. In this edition, they have already completed two ties at home after playing the first leg away: a 1-0 victory over Independiente Medellín in the Round of 16 Playoffs and a 2-0 win over Independiente Santa Fe in the Quarter-finals, with clean sheets becoming their trademark.
The venue itself is also part of the strategy. "It's more than logical and satisfying for us, because Vasco and Boca deserve a great stadium, and the Maracanã is a great stadium," said Pedro Emanuel after the first leg. History is also on Vasco's side: according to Opta, Brazilian teams are unbeaten in their last 13 home matches against Argentine opponents in the knockout stages of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, with seven wins and six draws. The last defeat came in the Round of 16 in 2023, when Goiás lost 2-0 to Estudiantes.
Boca, however, have a precedent of their own. According to Opta, the last time they lost the first leg of a CONMEBOL competition knockout tie at home against Brazilian opposition was in the Round of 16 of the 2003 CONMEBOL Libertadores, when they bounced back with a 4-2 victory over Paysandú in Belém and went on to lift the trophy. "Obviously, we would have liked to win at home or at least not be trailing, but there are still 90 minutes to play and we're Boca," warned Rodolfo Arruabarrena after the match at La Bombonera.
There is more than one record at stake for Vasco. With his goal in the first leg, Adson drew level with Pablo Vegetti as the club's leading scorer in a single edition of the competition, with five goals, while according to Opta, Pedro Emanuel could become the first Portuguese coach to reach a CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final. Thiago Mendes, one of the squad's key figures, has already told ge (Globo Esporte) what he expects from the occasion: "Over there, they'll feel the presence of our fans. We're going there to secure qualification." If Vasco succeed, they will contest a continental final for the first time in 26 years, since that CONMEBOL Mercosur triumph.
