By Matheus Trunk
He thought he would find redemption in Saint Januário. But it wasn’t quite like that. The year 2025 was another irregular season in the career of Fernando Diniz as a technician. The Brazilian Cup runner-up lost to Corinthians It was the final chapter of a year that was nothing but reasonable for the Vasco coach. Professional known for his conviction and firmness in decisions, having played for the Brazilian national team, Diniz remained quiet after the match. He remained phlegmatic looking into infinity for a few moments.
In the interview after the defeat, Fernando Diniz praised Gigante da Colina’s performance. “Apart from the final score (2 to 1 loss)from whatever perspective you want to analyze the match, we were superior to Corinthians, both in the first game in Itaquera and in today’s game”, he defended confidently. The coach admitted that the club has financial difficulties and is unable to sign expensive players like “Vitor Roque for US$25 million or Paulinho from Atlético Mineiro”in comparison with Palmeiras, who also didn’t win anything this year.
Diniz used statistics several times to argue that Vasco had a superior performance in the finals of the Copa do Brasil, which could have a single game next season. “A team that finishes sixteen times and another six in normal conditions... it’s practically triple. Who has 64% possession of the ball, who invades the final third of the field 44 times against nine… the normal thing is to win. And there in Itaquera we were supposed to win.” The coach also maintained that football is uncertain like life.
There is a feeling of sadness for not winning the title and at the same time a positive sign that the team fought and represented Vasco’s shirt.
FERNANDO DINIZ
Very rare jewelry
The coach praised several Vasco players, such as the young striker Rayan, defender Robert Renan and goalkeeper Léo Jardim. He highlighted the young center forward a lot. “Rayan is one of the great pillars of my work, he has decided many games and the tendency is for him to grow. If he were my son, I would say he should stay at Vasco for a while longer, he is only 19 years old.” The coach praised the attacker and his discovery. “He is a very special player, complete, at the beginning of his discovery. He has all the qualities that a player needs to have. He just needs to be consistent and like the enormous potential he has. He is a very rare gem.”
Diniz reinvents himself
After stints at several clubs, Fernando Diniz lived an opportune moment at Fluminense. It was at Tricolor in Rio that the coach who defended a style of deep touches and vertical play managed to win a State Championship, a Copa Libertadores de América and a Recopa Sudamericana. It was during this period that he ended up being called to temporarily manage the Brazilian team. There were only six games, with two wins, one draw and three defeats in the Qualifiers. The mediocre results caused him to be fired from the national team and also from Fluminense.
Diniz had a troubled spell at Cruzeiro, until he was called up by Vasco in May this year. With a restricted squad, the team ended up eliminated in the first phase of the Copa Sudamericana and finished the Brazilian Championship in a modest 14th position. The best moment was in the Copa do Brasil, where the São Januário team eliminated two rival teams that are in Series A: Botafogo and Fluminense. The runner-up ends another year in the queue for Vasco. The last national title was the 2011 Copa do Brasil.
