Grêmio Beats Palmeiras but Gains No Ground in Title Race

Grêmio recovered from its setback to Goiás and beat Palmeiras 2-1 in a tight contest at Olímpico Stadium to extend its home winning streak to eight games. Grêmio (48 pts) maintained its No. 2 ranking but was unable to gain any ground in the title race as league leaders São Paulo (53 pts) remainded 5 points ahead with their 5-1 route of Vasco at Morumbi. Palmeiras (33 pts) fell two spots into 15th place.

The game was anything but easy. The absences of Lucas, away on National Team duty, and Léo Lima, who underwent knee surgery, were duly felt. Lacking offensive creativity, play was restricted to the midfield with the only shots on goal coming on free kicks. In the 7th minute, Hugo took one and forced Diego to stretch out to make the save.

Slowly, Grêmio began to find its rhythm. In the 18th, Jeovânio fed Tcheco the ball inside the area but the midfielder shot wide. In the 23rd, William missed a similar opportunity. Finally, in the 32nd, Grêmio found the back of the net when Bruno Teles crossed to Ramón, who headed home the game’s first score: Grêmio, 1-0. The Tricolor created several more opportunities but were unable to convert any before the halftime whistle.

Things got tight at the start of the second half. In the 5th, Marcelo Grohe committed an unnecessary penalty on Roger, resulting in a kick from the spot. Paulo Baier easily converted, knotting the score: 1-1. But Palmeiras joy was short-lived. Five minutes later, Tcheco sent a free kick into the upper right corner to help Grêmio recapture the lead: Grêmio, 2-1. Moments after the goal, he left the game, still feeling the effects of the virus he contracted in Goiânia that had kept him from practice all week.

With the lead in hand, Grêmio sat back on defense and relied on counter-attacks. Rafinha, who came in for Tcheco, gave the team more speed. The tactic worked, but Grêmio was unable to capitalized. Rômulo, Hugo, and Rafinha each missed opportunities to ice the game. This made the final minutes of the game interesting as Palmeiras desperately tried for the tie. Two minutes from time, referee Luis Antônio Santos interpreted that Marcelo Grohe delayed to long to take a goal kick and called him for a foul. In the ensuing chaos, he sent off William and Neto Baiano. Fortunately, Paulo Baier’s free kick, a pass to Chiquinho in the area, was taken without power, allowing Herrera to intercept and preserve the victory.

The win means Grêmio is still within 5 points of leaders São Paulo, but now they have a daunting task ahead of them. On Sunday, they travel to São Paulo to take on third place Santos in a showdown for No. 2. The Fish (46 pts) trail Grêmio by only 2 points and can assume the second position with a victory. Working against the Tricolor is the fact that, in their history, they have only won once at Vila Belmiro Stadium.

Grêmio (2)	Palmeiras (1)
Ramón (32') Tcheco (55')	Paulo Baier (50' PK)
William (68') Bruno Teles (86') William (88')	Marcelo Costa (62') Marcinho Guerreiro (62') Paulo Baier (82') Neto Baiano (88')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Patrício, William, Evaldo and Bruno Teles; Jeovânio, Sandro, Tcheco (Rafinha, 57'), Hugo and Ramón (Rudnei, 83'); Rômulo (Herrera, 70'). Coach: Mano Menezes	Palmeiras: Diego; Paulo Baier, Nem, Alceu and Michael (Chiquinho, 67'); Marcinho Guerreiro, Francis (Neto Baiano, 76'), Marcelo Costa and Juninho Paulista (Rosembrick, 73'); Marcinho and Roger. Coach: Marcelo Vilar