Vasco Faces Boca Juniors as Andrey Santos and Sosa Back Club

Vasco da Gama entered its Copa Sudamericana return leg against Boca Juniors with a 1-0 aggregate advantage, aiming to secure a place in the final at the Maracana on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Coach Pedro Emanuel's team needed a draw to advance after winning the first leg in Argentina, while Boca faced the challenge of overturning the deficit away from home.

According to ge.globo, Adson scored the decisive goal in the first leg at La Bombonera. Vasco's position improved further when Colombian forward Andres Gomez was sent off in the second half, although Boca continued to threaten and hit the post through Ascacibar. If Boca won the return leg by one goal, the tie would proceed to a penalty shootout.

Vasco also arrived after a 1-0 defeat to Sao Paulo in the Brazilian league. Despite its progress in knockout competitions, the club remained at risk of relegation in the domestic championship, according to ge.globo.

Former Vasco midfielder Andrey Santos, now playing for Manchester United according to O Dia, continued following the club despite the time difference. He watched the first leg after traveling with his team for an away match against Atletico Madrid.

"I always watch Vasco. I know the time is a little different, but the game against Boca Juniors is an example. We played against Atletico Madrid away from home, and the schedules did not line up," Andrey Santos said in an interview with ESPN, as reported by O Dia.

The midfielder explained that he had calculated when he could watch the match and followed the action after arriving home in the early hours of the morning.

"I would have been on the plane during the first half; I had worked it out. When we landed, I turned the game on. It was around 2:30 or 3 a.m. here.

I went home watching the match. Being a Vasco fan puts your heart through a lot; there was Andres Gomez's sending-off, but everything worked out," Andrey Santos said.

He also expressed hope that the team would reach the final and win the competition.

"I hope everything goes well in the second leg, that we reach the final and, consequently, become champions," Andrey Santos said.

Meanwhile, Argentine midfielder Santiago Sosa credited Vasco's supporters with helping him settle quickly after joining from Racing. The player had become a regular starter under Pedro Emanuel and was expected to feature against Boca, according to Terra.

"What surprised me most is that the fans are always there. The stadium is always full. Honestly, I was surprised by the number of Vasco supporters throughout Brazil.

I identified strongly with the club. We connected quickly, and that helped me adapt here. I am just getting started here, and that helped me enormously.

I can see similarities between Vasco and Racing, and that helped me feel at home here," Sosa said in an interview with Paramount, as reported by Terra.

Sosa had previously won the Copa Sudamericana with Racing in 2024. A victory over Boca would give him another opportunity to play in the continental final.

Boca's penalty-shootout record also offered relevant background ahead of the return leg. According to Sporting News, goalkeeper Alvaro Montero had saved three of 10 opposition penalties across two shootouts for the Argentine club, against O'Higgins and Velez Sarsfield. Boca won both shootouts 4-3, although one opposing attempt went wide rather than being saved.

Montero's earlier career also included decisive performances in Colombian competitions. He saved two penalties for Deportes Tolima in the 2018 Colombian league final against Atletico Nacional and made two more saves for Millonarios in the 2023 Apertura final against the same opponent, according to Sporting News.

Explaining his approach to penalty shootouts in an October 2023 interview with ESPN, Montero described the mental contest between a goalkeeper and a taker.

"It is a mental duel you have with the player who is going to take the penalty," Montero said.

Vasco's expected lineup was Leo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, Saldivia, Robert Renan and Cuiabano; Sosa, Thiago Mendes and Lescano; Adson, Bruno Duarte and David. Paulo Henrique was a doubt after suffering a rib injury against Sao Paulo, while Andres Gomez was suspended and Colidio was unavailable because he was not registered for the competition, according to ge.globo.

Boca expected to welcome back midfielder Leandro Paredes, who was recovering from a grade-two thigh injury sustained 11 days earlier. His availability remained uncertain, while winger Alan Velasco was also returning from injury. Boca's projected lineup was Montero; Lozano, Di Lollo, Herrera and Blanco; Ascacibar, Battaglia or Paredes, and Delgado; Velasco or Villa, Merentiel and Flores, according to ge.globo.