By Louis Smith.
The 2025 Copa do Brasil concludes this week as Corinthians and Vasco da Gama clash in a thrilling showdown between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
It’s the first time the two sides meet in a Copa do Brasil final. Earlier this season in the league, Corinthians ran riot at home with a 3–0 victory, before a tighter contest in Rio, where Timão edged out Vasco once again in a 3–2 triumph.
The final also sees Fernando Diniz come up against Dorival Júnior, two managers who both endured difficult spells managing the national team in recent years. Neither enjoyed sustained success, and both have since been working to rebuild their reputations after returning to domestic club football.
Corinthians
Corinthians arguably have the tougher side of the draw, with the first leg to be played at home, meaning the decisive away leg will take place at São Januário.
They began their Copa do Brasil campaign against fellow Paulista side Grêmio Novorizontino, securing two 1–0 victories to progress 2–0 on aggregate. That set up a mouth-watering tie with bitter rivals Palmeiras. The first leg was played at the Neo Química Arena and, despite Yuri Alberto missing a penalty early on, Memphis Depay found the net to give Corinthians a slender advantage heading into the return leg at Allianz Parque. There, Corinthians claimed a 2–0 win, helped by an early red card for Aníbal Moreno, who was sent off inside the opening 15 minutes for Palmeiras.
Next up were second-tier side Athletico Paranaense, Copa do Brasil winners in 2019. Corinthians produced a dominant performance, running out 3–0 winners over two legs to book a semi-final clash with Cruzeiro.
After earning a crucial 1–0 away victory in the first leg, Corinthians suffered a 2–1 defeat at home, with Keny Arroyo scoring twice for Cruzeiro before Matheus Bidu pulled one back, sending the game to a penalty shootout.
Cruzeiro stepped up first, with Matheus Pereira converting the opening penalty. Yuri Alberto was then denied, putting Corinthians on the back foot. The rest of the spot-kicks were perfect and gave Gabriel Barbosa a chance to send Raposa into the final, but Cássio stood firm to keep Timao in the tie.
Gustavo Henrique kept his composure to level the scores, Walace was denied by Cássio once again, and then Breno Bidon stepped up to calmly slot his penalty past the Cruzeiro goalkeeper, sending Corinthians into the final.
Key performers for Corinthians on their journey to the final have included Matheus Bidu, who has impressively scored two goals from left-back, across 520 minutes of football. Memphis Depay has also been a pivotal figure for the side, netting two goals in just 360 minutes of Copa do Brasil action.
Vasco da Gama
Vasco know that the second leg will be played at home, so their aim will be to take a positive result back to Rio de Janeiro. There, they will hope to have the backing of the crowd and a raucous atmosphere as they chase their first Copa do Brasil title since 2011 and their first piece of silverware since the Carioca title in 2016.
The Brazil State Championships determine which round of the Copa do Brasil clubs enter, and Vasco’s performance in their state league was subpar. As a result, Vasco began their Copa do Brasil campaign from round one, playing two extra games compared to some of their opponents.
They opened with a 3–0 victory on the road against União Rondonópolis, setting up a clash with Nova Iguaçu, where they once again triumphed 3–0.
Their first real challenge came against Operário Ferroviário in their first two-legged tie of the tournament. Both matches ended in a 1–1 draw, meaning penalties would be required, which Vasco won 7–6.
The Rio side delivered a much-improved performance in the next round, taking on CSA and securing a 3–1 aggregate victory over two legs. This set up a clash with their Rio rivals Botafogo, where a 2–2 draw over two legs sent the match to a penalty shootout. Vasco held their nerve, winning 5–3 to progress.
In the semi-final, they faced Fluminense, another Rio rival. Vasco claimed a 2–1 victory at home, but a 1–0 defeat in the away leg sent the tie to yet another penalty shootout.
Thiago Silva stepped up first for Fluminense and scored, before Pablo Vegetti missed for Vasco, putting them on the back foot early.
John Kennedy then missed for Fluminense, giving Vasco a lifeline. All penalties were perfect until Flu’s Agustín Canobbio stepped up and missed, giving Jose Rodriguez the chance to silence the home crowd, and the Uruguayan did just that, sending the keeper the wrong way and placing Vasco into the Copa do Brasil final.
Léo Jardim has played every minute for Vasco in the Copa do Brasil, while youngster Rayan, just 19 years of age, has scored five times for the side. Despite his youth, he has emerged as one of the key figures in this Vasco side on their run to the final.
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