Grêmio Beats Santa Cruz for Second Consecutive Win

Grêmio beat Santa Cruz 3-2 at Plátanos Stadium to improve to 2-0 in the Gaúcho State Championship. Grêmio (6 pts) leads Group 2, beating out Esportivo (6 pts) on number of goals scored (7 to 5). Santa Cruz (0 pts) suffered its second consecutive defeat and fell to last place. The Tricolor will hit the road again to face fifth place São Luiz (1 pt), in Izuí, on Wednesday.

The opening minutes of this exciting game were an indication of things to come on this warm summer day. In the 7th minute, Ramón broke down the left side, easily got past two defenders and shot towards the goal. The ball glanced off the crossbar and into the back of the net: Grêmio, 1-0. The Tricolor was still celebrating when Santa Cruz struck back. Two minutes after Grêmio’s goal, Odair sent a free kick into the upper corner of the goal to even the score: 1-1. Bolstered by the quick response, the home team began to press for a second goal. In the 15th, Marcão took advantage of a Tricolor defensive blunder, appearing in the midst of the defenders and sending the ball past Galatto: Santa Cruz, 2-1.

With the lead in hand, Santa Cruz let up on the attack and tried to take control of the tempo. The strategy worked for the next 30 minutes until Tcheco, the brains of the midfield, orchestrated the comeback. In the 46th, he found Lipatin inside the small area. The forward, who received the pass with his back to the goal, spun around and shot into the lower right corner: 2-2. Three minutes later, Tcheco crossed from the right side, Ramón headed the ball towards the goal, and Maidana finished to put the Tricolor once again in front just before halftime: Grêmio, 3-2.

After an explosive first half, the teams succumbed to the heat and fatigue in the second. The game was even stopped at one point so that the players could rest and hydrate. The only play of note was a shot by Leandro near the end of the game. Marcelo Grohe, who replaced an injured Galatto, made the save with the tip of his fingers to preserve the victory.

With two victories under its belt, Grêmio 2006 is starting to look like a contender for the state title. Although beating the likes of Santa Cruz and Veranópolis cannot compare to the competition the Tricolor will face in the Brazilian Championship, it is a sign that Mano Menezes has the team headed in the right direction. As long as Grêmio continues to improve with each game, they will be a force to be reckoned with later in the year.

Santa Cruz (2)	Grêmio (3)
Odair (9') Marcão (15')	Ramón (7') Lipatin (46+') Maidana (49+')
Alex Martins Júnior Marcão Leandro	Maidana Marcelo Oliveira Sandro
Venue:  Plátanos Stadium, Santa Cruz do Sul (RS)
Santa Cruz: Renato (Rodrigo); Marcão, Anderson and Alex Martins (Marcinho); Luiz Fernando, Odair Santos, Roque, Odair and Júnior; Fábio Nunes and Leandro (Éder Machado). Coach: Armando Dessessards	Grêmio: Galatto (Marcelo Grohe); Luiz Felipe, Maidana, Marcelo Oliveira and Escalona; Jeovânio, Lucas, Tcheco and Paulo Ramos (Sandro); Ramón and Lipatin (Reinaldo). Coach: Mano Menezes