Grêmio Held Scoreless by Farroupilha

After four consecutive victories and a 3.0 goals per game average, Grêmio’s offense ran out of steam against last-place Farroupilha. Lacking the fire it displayed in its four wins, the Tricolor could not break a 0-0 deadlock at Nicolau Fico Stadium and lost its first points of the Gaúcho State Championship. Despite the setback, Grêmio (13 pts) is still in firm control of Group 2, holding a four-point lead over second place Esportivo (9 pts). Farroupilha (2 pts) improved to fifth place but remained winless in the competition.

The Grêmio that showed up in the first half was a far cry from the one that had racked up four straight victories. The team lacked creativity up front and never seriously threatened the Farroupilha goal. The defense was also uncharacteristic, ceding space and possession to its opponent. Farroupilha, who relied on quick counter-attacks, blew an excellent scoring chance when Beto got past two defenders but waited too long to shoot and was disarmed in front of the goal.

Grêmio returned for the second half a different team. Much more organized, the Tricolor cut down its errors and began to lay siege to the Farroupilha goal. Worn out from the first 45 minutes of its fast-paced game plan, the home team retreated into a defensive shell and tried to hold onto the tie. As a result, Grêmio dominated the second half but was unable to translate that domination into goals. Even a change in personnel (Marcos Rogério and Lipatin came in for Bruno Coutinho and Pedro Júnior) had no effect on the score.

Despite the setback, Grêmio is still the only remaining unbeaten in the Gaúcho State Championship. The Tricolor will face Farroupilha again on Wednesday when Grêmio returns to Porto Alegre for only its second home game of the season. A win would virtually lock up a berth in the second round.

Farroupilha (0)	Grêmio (0)
Beto	Evaldo Jeovânio Marcos Rogério Tcheco Alessandro Reinaldo
Venue:  Nicolau Fico Stadium, Pelotas (RS)
Farroupilha: Adir; Flavinho, Sandro Barbosa and Fabiano; Carlão, Dinho (Luiz André), Rodrigo Gasolina, Diógenes (Manga) and Edimar (Cleiton); Lisandro and Beto. Coach: Bagé	Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Luiz Felipe, Maidana, Evaldo and Escalona; Jeovânio, Bruno Coutinho (Marcos Rogério), Paulo Ramos and Tcheco (Alessandro); Pedro Júnior (Lipatin) and Reinaldo. Coach: Mano Menezes