Vasco da Gama U20 beat Palmeiras U20 2-0 in the final of the Brazilian U20 Championship on Thursday night. Andrey Fernandes scored both goals for the visitors, opening the scoring early and then adding a second to seal the victory. The result moves Vasco da Gama U20 above their hosts in the table, ending a run of dominance that had seen Palmeiras U20 win five straight matches.
Fernandes gave Vasco da Gama the lead in the seventh minute, a moment that shifted the match before anyone had settled into their rhythm. Palmeiras U20 tried to respond but the visitors held firm through a tense opening half. Felipe Teresa came off for Palmeiras U20 in the nineteenth minute, perhaps sensing the pressure building.
The second half opened with Palmeiras U20 pushing forward, but Vasco da Gama U20 struck again in the fifty-ninth minute. Fernandes ended his barren spell with a second goal, and suddenly the tie was slipping away from the home side. Juninho replaced a Palmeiras U20 player in the fifty-fourth minute, but the damage was already done.
Palmeiras U20 made three changes in the sixtieth and sixty-sixth minutes, trying to find a way back into the game. Riquelme Avellar and Samuel came on together, but Vasco da Gama U20 controlled the tempo. Andrey Fernandes was substituted in the eightieth minute, having done all the work at the other end.
The table tells the story. Palmeiras U20 sit top with forty-four points from thirteen wins, five draws and one defeat. Vasco da Gama U20 are second on thirty-six points, eleven wins and three draws. This final changes everything, even if the standings barely moved.
