- The Rio de Janeiro side came through both the Playoffs and the Round of 16 to reach the final eight of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana: after a 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro, they produced a commanding 4-1 victory over Olimpia in Asunción.
- Pedro Emanuel’s side now await the winner of River Plate vs Independiente Santa Fe to discover their Quarter-final opponents.
Vasco da Gama remain firmly focused on reaching the Final of La Gran Conquista, which will be played on Saturday, November 21 in Barranquilla. The ‘Cruz-Maltino’ have already come through two knockout ties to reach the Quarter-finals and showed once again in Asunción that they have the resources to compete away from Rio de Janeiro.
Their path to this stage has been demanding. After finishing second in Group G, they had to contest the Playoffs against Independiente Medellín: Vasco drew 2-2 in Colombia before winning 1-0 at São Januário thanks to a late Thiago Mendes goal. In the Round of 16, they met Olimpia again, an opponent with whom they had traded victories during the Group Stage.
The first leg once again reflected that balance. Vasco controlled much of the match in Rio de Janeiro but could not find a way past Gastón Olveira, and the 0-0 draw left everything to be decided at the Defensores del Chaco. There, Olimpia took the lead through Esteban Matus, but the Brazilian response was emphatic: Thiago Mendes equalised, David completed the comeback before half-time, and Adson and Claudio Spinelli extended the advantage in the second half.
The 4-1 victory sent Vasco into the final eight and brought to an end a rivalry with Olimpia that had already produced four meetings in this edition. Their next opponents will come from River Plate vs Independiente Santa Fe, after the first leg ended 0-0. Having entered the knockout stage through the Playoffs, ‘Cruz-Maltino’ are now just one tie away from returning to the continental Semi-finals.
Vasco da Gama in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
Group G – Matchday 1: Barracas Central 0-0 Vasco da Gama
Group G – Matchday 2: Vasco da Gama 1-2 Audax Italiano (45+3' PT Brenner Marlos / 17' ST Michael Vadulli and 41' ST Franco Troyansky)
Group G – Matchday 3: Vasco da Gama 3-0 Olimpia (39' PT José Luis Rodríguez, 6' ST Nuno Moreira and 10' ST Adson)
Group G – Matchday 4: Audax Italiano 1-2 Vasco da Gama (5' PT Alan Saldivia, own goal / 19' ST Claudio Spinelli and 26' ST Matheus França)
Group G – Matchday 5: Olimpia 3-1 Vasco da Gama (22' ST Mateo Gamarra, 40' ST Hugo Sandoval and 45+4' ST Sebastián Ferreira / 45+4' PT Carlos Cuesta)
Group G – Matchday 6: Vasco da Gama 3-0 Barracas Central (32' PT and 45+2' PT Adson, and 10' ST Jhojan Rojas)
Playoffs
First Leg: Independiente Medellín 2-2 Vasco da Gama (45+4' PT and 27' ST John Montaño / 1' ST Joaquín Varela, own goal, and 41' ST Claudio Spinelli)
Second Leg: Vasco da Gama 1-0 Independiente Medellín (40' ST Thiago Mendes)
Round of 16
First Leg: Vasco da Gama 0-0 Olimpia
Second Leg: Olimpia 1-4 Vasco da Gama (Esteban Matus / Thiago Mendes, David, Adson and Claudio Spinelli). Vasco advanced 4-1 on aggregate.
Vasco da Gama Head Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Pedro Emanuel
Pedro Emanuel took charge at the beginning of July, replacing the legendary Renato Gaúcho, and quickly delivered results in continental competition. The 51-year-old coach, born in Angola and a naturalised Portuguese citizen, arrived at Vasco after seven seasons in Arab football, with spells at Al-Ain, Al-Nassr, Al-Khaleej and Al-Fayha.
His first objective was to bring greater balance to the team without sacrificing attacking threat, and the knockout stage has begun to validate that approach. Vasco eliminated Independiente Medellín in the Playoffs and then overcame Olimpia: after a 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro, they responded to a difficult start in Asunción and won 4-1 with goals from Thiago Mendes, David, Adson and Claudio Spinelli.
Pedro Emanuel has therefore already guided ‘Cruz-Maltino’ through two knockout ties and into the final eight of La Gran Conquista. Their next challenge will be against the winner of River Plate vs Independiente Santa Fe, with a team that has shown it can manage tight matches and also respond emphatically when spaces open up.
Full Vasco da Gama Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 1. Leonardo Jardim - 13. Daniel Cerantola - 37. Pablo De Paula - 40. Phillipe Pires - 79. Marcos Soares.
Defenders: 2. Jose Rodriguez - 4. Alan Saldivia - 6. Lucas Piton - 29. Paulo Alves - 30. Robert Alves - 43. Lucas De Freitas - 46. Carlos Cuesta - 54. Alison Di Nardi - 60. João Fonseca - 63. Wanyson Nogueira - 64. Walace Alves - 66. Luis Soares - 80. Bruno Azevedo - 87. Breno Vereza - 91. Breno Sales - 96. Paulo Oliveira.
Midfielders: 3. Danilo Das Neves - 8. Jair Rodrigues Junior - 10. Johan Rojas - 23. Thiago Santos - 50. Gustavo Soares - 55. Luiz Locio - 62. Lucca Santos - 65. Leonardo De Souza - 67. Samuel De Jesus - 82. Riquelme Da Silva - 83. Ramon Rique De Souza - 85. Mateus Carvalho - 86. Lukas Rocha - 88. Cauan Barros - 98. João Pedro De Paula.
Forwards: 7. David Correa - 11. Carlos Gomez - 17. Nuno Rocha - 18. Marino Hinestroza - 20. Brenner Souza - 28. Adson Ferreira - 61. Alex Miranda - 72. Bruno Lopes - 74. Andrey De Oliveira - 77. Claudio Spinelli - 81. Lucas Da Costa - 84. Anderson Felix - 90. Diego Campos.
Vasco da Gama’s Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Nuno Moreira
The Portuguese forward, born in Espinho, joined Vasco in February 2025 from Casa Pia and gradually earned his place until becoming an almost automatic starter. His ability to adapt to different systems allows him to operate freely across the attacking line, contributing creativity, runs into dangerous areas and end product.
On ‘Cruz-Maltino’s’ road to the Round of 16, he scored the second goal in the 3-0 victory over Olimpia and also provided two assists. That consistency established him as one of Vasco’s main attacking references during a campaign in which the team also had to navigate the Playoffs against Independiente Medellín.
He did not add to his tally in the Round of 16, but remained part of the side that overcame Olimpia once again. After a 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro, Vasco came from behind in Asunción and won 4-1 to reach the final eight of the competition. Nuno Moreira therefore heads into the Quarter-finals as one of the players who has provided the greatest continuity throughout the entire continental campaign.
Vasco da Gama’s Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Adson
Any discussion of Vasco da Gama’s goalscoring threat inevitably leads to Adson. The 25-year-old Brazilian attacker has already scored four goals in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana: he found the net and provided two assists in the 3-0 victory over Olimpia during the Group Stage, before a brace against Barracas Central sealed ‘Cruz-Maltino’s’ place in the Playoffs.
His influence resurfaced once the knockout stage began. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg against Olimpia, Vasco had to come from behind in Asunción, and Adson made it 3-1 with a left-footed finish that decisively swung the tie in their favour. Claudio Spinelli later completed the 4-1 victory that secured qualification for the Quarter-finals.
Whether creating or finishing, Adson remains one of the most dangerous players in Vasco’s attacking unit. His four goals keep him as the club’s leading scorer in the competition, and they have come at moments that help explain much of the team’s journey: from securing a place in the Playoffs to the night that took them into the final eight of La Gran Conquista.
Vasco da Gama’s X-Factor in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Claudio Spinelli
The Argentine striker remains an alternative capable of unlocking tight matches and adding a strong physical presence inside the box. His run in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana already includes important goals: he scored in the comeback against Audax Italiano and also netted the equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Independiente Medellín in Colombia, a result that left Vasco well positioned before completing the job in the Playoffs in Rio de Janeiro.
His influence resurfaced in the Round of 16. After the 0-0 draw in the first leg against Olimpia, Spinelli came off the bench in the return match in Asunción and completed the 4-1 victory with a header from a José Luis Rodríguez cross. It was his third goal of the competition and capped a night in which Vasco came from behind to secure a place among the final eight.
Goals, intensity and his ability to attack the penalty area make Spinelli a different option for Pedro Emanuel. With Vasco already through to the Quarter-finals, the Argentine once again showed that he can make an impact even without starting as the team’s main attacking reference: whenever the match demands a different presence inside the box, he remains one of the players capable of changing its course.
Vasco da Gama’s History in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Vasco da Gama have to look back 15 years, to the 2011 edition of La Gran Conquista, to find their best-ever campaign in the competition. That team, coached by Cristóvão Borges, reached the Semi-finals before being eliminated by Universidad de Chile, who won the tie 3-1 on aggregate and went on to lift the trophy unbeaten.
The 2026 edition has already taken ‘Cruz-Maltino’ back among the continent’s final eight. After overcoming Independiente Medellín in the Playoffs, they eliminated Olimpia with a 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro followed by a commanding 4-1 victory in Asunción. Vasco are therefore just one tie away from matching their 2011 run.
Their next opponents will come from the tie between River Plate and Independiente Santa Fe. Fifteen years after their last appearance among the competition’s final four, the Rio de Janeiro side once again have a genuine opportunity to reach the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Semi-finals and move closer to a Final that still remains absent from their history in the tournament.
