Edmundo scores 2 in his farewell match and Vasco wins 9-1.
On a night of great emotion at São Januário stadium, the Vasco da Gama idol was cheered by the fans and helped the team crush Barcelona of Ecuador; the animal also received a tribute from the hands of president Roberto Dinamite.
Official website of Vasco da Gama - The big screen at São Januário showed the main scenes of the eternal idol in the Vasco da Gama jersey, such as the spectacular goal against Flamengo in 1997. Edmundo, in the tunnel, very emotional, prepared to enter the pitch of his home for the last time. When the "Trem Bala" (Bullet Train) opened, there was a great fireworks display to welcome the eternal idol, who cried and ran across the pitch listening to the shout from the stands: "Ah, it's Edmundo!"
After the Vasco anthem was played, with everyone present singing along with great emotion, president Roberto Dinamite gave a beautiful speech and presented a plaque to the honoree of the evening. Goalkeeper Fernando Praas played wearing a jersey with the number 200, alluding to the number of games he played for Vasco.
When the ball started rolling, the friendly match took on the air of an official game. In his very first action, Edmundo was brought down by his marker. On Vasco's first attack, Juninho exchanged passes with Edmundo and shot; the ball hit the defense, falling to Thiago Feltri, who crossed to Alecsandro, but the player got tangled up trying to control it.
At 11 minutes, Thiago Feltri made a good play and was fouled, resulting in a penalty. Edmundo took the penalty and, with great skill, scored his 136th goal for his beloved team, making the stadium boil with emotion and nostalgia for the idol, who celebrated and thanked the fans, saying "thank you" and pointing and bowing towards the stands.
Vasco continued to pressure Barcelona (EQU) with intricate passes in midfield. Alecsandro made a beautiful long pass to Edmundo in the box. The Animal controlled the ball, beat his marker, and rolled it to Fagner. The full-back made a beautiful turn and passed to the number 9, who placed the ball in the left corner of goalkeeper Morales' net. Alecsandro, in a beautiful gesture, paid homage to Edmundo by imitating his celebration after winning the Taça Rio title against Flamengo.
Edmundo almost scored his second goal after Felipe passed to Thiago Feltri on the left, and the full-back crossed low for the idol to shoot, but Morales made a great save. At 34 minutes, however, Edmundo showed why "Animal" is an endangered species.
The star player delivered a spectacular, precise pass to Fagner on the right. The full-back crossed with the outside of his foot for the number 10 to finish first-time. A fantastic goal in Edmundo's signature style, who, in celebration, had his boot "polished" by Alecsandro before running towards the fans in his most memorable career celebration; the one from his spectacular goal against Flamengo in 1997.
While the stands chanted "The Animal is back," Barcelona (EQU) narrowed the gap. However, in the next play, Fagner exchanged passes with Eder Luis on the right and rolled the ball to Juninho in the box. The midfielder controlled the ball and placed a shot into the top corner past Morales.
Edmundo bids farewell in the arms of the fans.
For the second half, Cristóvão Borges made four substitutions to rest the squad due to Vasco's busy schedule this season. Diego Souza, the current number 10, came on wearing number 72 in reference to Edmundo's birth year. In the first play of the second half, Felipe nutmegged his marker and passed to Thiago Feltri, who crossed for Éder Luis to score the fifth goal after 55 seconds.
The match was paused due to a power outage affecting the floodlights. When they returned to normal, Edmundo continued his show. The Animal dribbled past four defenders, performing another of his typical nutmegs, but ended up kicking the ball over the opponent.
The team slowed down their offensive momentum until Cristóvão Borges made four more substitutions. At 21 minutes, Fellipe Bastos scored a fantastic free-kick goal, a powerful shot with plenty of spin. And, once again, the players performed one of Edmundo's historic celebrations.
Four minutes later, Fellipe Bastos and Allan played a sensational one-two, allowing Allan to extend the lead. At the 30-minute mark, Felipe started the play with Fellipe Bastos in the box, who crossed to Diego Souza. The midfielder controlled the ball with his chest, battled with the defender, and shot powerfully into the corner to make it 2-0. Allan would score Vasco's ninth goal late in the game, after Edmundo had left the field.
At the 40-minute mark, Edmundo took his last steps for Vasco on the São Januário pitch. In the background, the Vasco anthem played, and the fans cheered their idol, chanting loudly, "Ah, it's Edmundo!" Young Willian Barbio had the honor of replacing the Animal, who, already off the field, carried the game ball wrapped in the Vasco flag, crying and waving to the fans. A very emotional moment, just like the whole night at the Sacred Hill, because of a love that began in 1992 and will never end, as Edmundo etched his name in Vasco's history and in the hearts of Vasco fans.