Grêmio Rallies for Tie at Maracanã

Trailing 2-0 after just 12 minutes of play, Grêmio avoided suffering a fourth consecutive loss by rallying in the second half to leave Maracanã Stadium with a 2-2 tie against Botafogo. The result snapped a three-game skid for Grêmio (4 pts), who remained in 18th place and inside the relegation zone. Botafogo (5 pts) dropped into 16th place.

As has been the story during Grêmio’s losing streak, the defense was once again the culprit. Since its 2-0 win over Corinthians in its opener, the Tricolor allowed 10 goals in its three losses. The trend continued against Botafogo. Just two minutes into the contest, Zé Roberto took a free kick that hit the crossbar and bounced off the back of Galatto. The ball stopped in front of the goalline, waiting for whoever wanted it more. Grêmio’s fullbacks got to it first but inexplicably were unable to clear it, allowing Reinaldo to blast it into the net: Botafogo, 1-0. But the pain did not stop there. In the 12th, Júnior César moved as he pleased past Patrício and crossed into the area to Reinaldo. The striker trapped the ball and prepared to shoot but was fouled by Pereira. Christain easily converted the ensuing penalty kick: Botafogo, 2-0. It was Grêmio’s 12th goal allowed in four games.

The remainder of the first half was horrific. Grêmio could not muster anything on offense while Botafogo had its way with the Tricolor defense. The only positive outcome that resulted in the first 45 minutes was the ejection of Tiago Xavier. The fullback, who had already been booked earlier in the game, was sent off after a hard tackle on Ricardinho in the 42nd.

During the break, Mano Menezes pulled Valdeir and Patrício and put in Pedro Júnior and Alessandro. Since their was no way that the substitutes could have played any worse than the players they replaced, Grêmio’s production improved in the second half. Thanks to its numerical advantage, the Tricolor finally began to threaten the Botafogo goal. In the 8th, Pedro Júnior was taken down after trying to shake off Scheidt inside the area. Ricardinho converted the ensuing penalty kick to minimize the deficit: Botafogo, 2-1. Grêmio’s play continued to improve as they produced several more scoring opportunities. In the 32nd, Ricardinho passed into the area from the right side and Alessandro, despite not having an angle at the goal, put through the equalizer: 2-2. Four minutes later, Felipe Adão, who had just come into the game, was sent off for a violent tackle, leaving Botafogo with only nine players on the field. Inevitably, Grêmio dominated the remainder of the game, but its best scoring chances were blown by Herrera.

While Grêmio managed to avoid another loss, the team is still in a crisis situation. The Tricolor has the second most porous defense in Série A, allowing 2.4 goals per game. There is no excuse to allow 17th place Paraná (4 pts) to pierce the net five times or to spot 16th place Botafogo a 2-0 lead. Currently in 18th place, Grêmio’s situation may worsen before it gets better. The Tricolor travels to Campinas this weekend to take on 10th place Ponte Preta (7 pts), its fourth road game in six outings. Grêmio has never won at Moisés Lucarelli Stadium.

Botafogo (2)	Grêmio (2)
Reinaldo (2') Christian (12' PK)	Ricardinho (53' PK) Alessandro (77')
Thiago Xavier (39') Thiago Xavier (43') Lopes (52') Rafael Marques (53') Gláuber (57') Zé Roberto (75') Felipe Adão (81')	Marcelo Costa (73')
Venue:  Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Botafogo: Lopes; Ruy, Rafael Marques, Sheidt and Júnior César; Tiago Xavier, Diguinho, Gláuber (Claiton, 89') and Zé Roberto; Reinaldo (Felipe Adão, 70') and Christian (Ataliba, 56'). Coach: Carlos Roberto	Grêmio: Galatto; Patrício (Alessandro, HT), William, Pereira and Wellington; Nunes, Sandro Goiano (Herrera, 68'), Marcelo Costa and Hugo; Ricardinho and Valdeir (Pedro Júnior, HT). Coach: Mano Menezes