Grêmio Wins, But Not Convincingly

Grêmio managed an unconvincing 1-0 win over lowly São Luiz at Olímpico Stadium to end a 3-game winless streak and move closer to a second round berth. Grêmio (17 pts) leads Group 2 and needs only a win in one of its last two games to advance. São Luiz (2 pts) remains winless in the competition and is out of contention. The Tricolor hosts 3rd place Santa Cruz (13 pts) this Sunday while São Luiz faces second place Veranópolis (15 pts).

Fielding its eighth formation in as many games, Grêmio looked lost on the pitch. The errant passes and defensive miscues were numerous. Grêmio's best chance of the first half came in the 37th minute when Tcheco managed to cross a ball into the area to Herrera. The striker, given his first scoring opportunity, blasted a shot that exploded off the right post. São Luiz, for its part, seemed uninterested in offense, leaving the game scoreless at the half.

As bad as Grêmio had been in the first half, they returned a different team for the second. Mano Menezes pulled Ramón and Nunes in favor of Paulo Ramos and Marcelo Costa. With Lucas now playing in a more defensive position, Tcheco and Costa were freed up to advance the ball. The tactic worked as the second half was all Grêmio. In the 15th, the goalkeeper managed to deflect a corner taken by Tcheco but Evaldo was in position for the rebound: Grêmio, 1-0. The Tricolor continued to pressure but was able to come up with another score. São Luiz seemed content to leave Porto Alegre without suffering a blowout and never gave Marcelo Grohe any serious challenge. Ricardinho did make an appearance near the end of the game but, being out of game shape, did not make an impact.

The important thing is that Grêmio got the victory, but the concerns remain. The Tricolor averaged three goals per game during its 4-0 start. Now its offense could muster only one goal at home against one of the worst teams in the league. And while Grêmio's starters struggle against the likes of São Luiz, Internacional is dominating its group despite fielding mostly reserves. At this rate, nothing will prevent the Colorados from capturing a fifth consecutive state title. Grêmio needs to improve, and fast. There are only two games remaining before the start of the decisive rounds.

Grêmio (1)	São Luiz (0)
Evaldo (60')
Escalona Maidana Paulo Ramos	Maurício Faccin Joel Cavalo Flavinho
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Alessandro, Maidana, Evaldo and Escalona; Nunes (Marcelo Costa), Lucas, Tcheco and Ramón (Paulo Ramos); Herrera and Reinaldo (Ricardinho). Coach: Mano Menezes	São Luiz: Fernando; Charles, Faccin and Rafael; Maurício, Flavinho, Maurício, Rômulo (Marcelo Buda), Marcinho Galvão and Joel Cavalo; Evandro Brito and Marcos Paulista (Ivo). Coach: Laoni Luz