Vasco went nine games without producing a victory and were stuck in last place. However, they have improved to 18th place and have some breathing room in the final rounds of play in the 2008 Brasileiro Championship.

By beating Goias by a score of 4-2 on Wednesday, the team now has 30 points, two ahead of both Atletico-PR and Ipatinga, in 19thand 20th places respectively.

With only seven rounds of play left in the season, the team's risk of being lowered into Serie B of the Brasileiro has been greatly reduced. The chances of being lowered dropped from 83 percent to 64 percent. The calculations are based on Tristao Garcia's math.

This result was fundamental for Vasco. Their ranking improved dramatically. Apart from this, it helped out just in case the team losses at home. The team will have some difficult games at home in the near future. Two of which will be Fluminense and Sao Paulo.

According to Garcia, the team will need to produce 13 more points in order to assure their permanence in the first division. The team's next seven games will offer a possible 21 points for the team to gain.

"With 43 points, Vasco is almost certain to stay in the first division. If they do so, they will be out of danger of being sent into the second division," claimed Garcia.

In next week's match, Vasco will host Atletico-PR. The game promises to be a fight for survival within the elite of Brazilian soccer. For this reason, the head coach of the team, Renato Gaucho, expects the best out of his players.

"Who ever plays hard and chases after a goal always has positive results. We need to keep fighting until the very last whistle. Soon, the winds will blow in our favor. However, I have to reiterate that the hard work we produce on the practice field has to be the same on game day. Just because we won on Wednesday does not mean that we are in good shape," alerted the coach.