Vasco was thrashed 4-0 and has a difficult task in the second leg to secure a place in the round of 16 of the South American Cup.
Vasco found itself in a difficult situation in the South American Cup. The Cruzmaltinos were thrashed 4-0 by Independiente Del Valle-EQU, this Tuesday (15/7), in Quito. Vasco started the game well, but saw Lucas Pitón sent off after ten minutes.
With the numerical advantage, Del Valle opened the scoring before halftime, with Carabajal. In the second half, Mercado, twice, and Spinelli sealed the victory for the home team. The return match between the teams will be next Tuesday (22), in São Januário. Vasco will need to thrash the Ecuadorians to advance in the South American Cup.
The game between Del Valle and Vasco
The match started with a bang. Independiente Del Valle tried to apply pressure, but Vasco surprised them with an attacking approach. The Cruzmaltinos had a good chance in the fifth minute, when Rayan’s shot was blocked by Villar. However, the Rio de Janeiro team was down ten men after ten minutes. Lucas Piton committed a hard foul on Guaguá and was sent off after the referee was called by VAR. Even with ten men, Vasco threatened with a free kick from Rayan. Del Valle responded immediately, with a Briones shot that forced a good save from Léo Jardim. From then on, the home team increased the pressure. So much so that in the 31st minute, Spinelli hit the crossbar.
The ball then deflected off Lucas Freitas after a cross, forcing Léo Jardim to make a great save to save the opening of the scoring. The same scenario continued in the final minutes. After so much persistence, Del Valle scored in stoppage time. After a cross, Guagua headed the ball, Léo Jardim rebounded, and Carabajal was there to send it into the net. Thus, the Ecuadorians went into halftime with the lead. In the second half, Del Valle maintained their dominance and scored their second goal in the third minute.
Mercado capitalized on a cross, controlled the ball, and shot toward goal. The setback was felt by Vasco, who nearly conceded a third shortly after. Guagua was released into the box and was stopped by Léo Jardim. Only in the fifth minute did Del Valle find the net. Spinelli took advantage of the cross and shot, giving the Rio goalkeeper a chance. With the lead established, Del Valle maintained possession but slowed down. Vasco barely troubled the home side and merely defended in Quito.
The home side conceded again in the 26th minute. Cazares shot toward goal in the box, but luckily for Vasco, the ball hit Spinelli and went out for a goal kick. To make matters worse, Del Valle reached the fourth in the 36th minute. After a back-and-forth in the box, the ball reached Mercado, who sent it into the net. Del Valle didn’t slow down and managed to find the back of the net again through Spinelli. However, the goal was ruled out for offside by the Ecuadorian striker.
In the 43rd minute, Maurício Lemos brought Mercado down in the box, and the referee awarded a penalty. Cazares stepped up to take the shot and saw Léo Jardim make the save. Even so, the Ecuadorians maintained their significant lead heading into the second leg.
Independiente del Valle 4-0 Vasco
Venue: Atahualpa Olympic Stadium, Quito, Ecuador
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Time: 9:30 PM (Brasília time)
Referee: Kevin Ortega (PER)
Assistant Referees: Michael Orue (PER) and Jesús Sánchez (PER)
VAR: Joel Alarcon (PER)
Yellow cards: Alcivar and Briones (Independiente del Valle); Hugo Moura and Léo Jardim (Vasco)
Red cards: Lucas Pitón (Vasco) Goals: Carabajal, 47th minute of the first half; Mercado, 3rd and 36th minutes of the second half; Spinelli, 5 minutes into the second half (Independiente del Valle) INDEPENDIENTE DEL VALLE: Villar, Fernandez, Carabajal, Schunke, and Cortez (Loor); Alcivar (Mendes), Mercado, and Guagua (Cazares); Ronald Briones (Rodríguez), Ibarra (Pata), and Spinelli. Coach: Javier Rabanal.
VASCO: Léo Jardim, Paulo Henrique, João Victor, Lucas Freitas, and Lucas Piton; Hugo Moura and Tchê Tchê (Garré); Nuno Moreira (Maurício Lemos), Rayan (David), GB (Victor Luís), and Vegetti (Paulinho). Coach: Fernando Diniz.
