Grêmio Snaps Winless Streak, Defeats Goiás 2-0

Grêmio defeated Goiás 2-0 at Olímpico Stadium to snap a five-game winless streak and move out of the relegation zone. It was Grêmio’s first win since a 2-0 triumph over Corinthians in the Brazilian Championship opener. Grêmio (8 pts) now sits in 12th place, just one spot removed from the South American Cup qualifying zone. Goiás (11 pts) dropped from 6th into 8th.

Everyone who has followed Grêmio under Mano Menezes knew what to expect in this game. Losses turn into ties, and ties into victories. The Tricolor followed three straight losses with two hard fought road ties. A victory at home was only natural.

Grêmio stifled Goiás, not allowing its opponent to get any offense going. Lucas and Sandro Goiano, responsible for helping the backfield, were the best players on the field and kept Goiás’ strikers in check. The visitor’s only shot on goal in the first half camein the 24th minute, when Romerito’s blast went wide right. It was with this command of the game that Grêmio began to construct its victory.

Grêmio’s first goal came in the 30th when Wellington crossed the ball into the area and found Marcelo Costa all alone in front of the goal with only Harlei preventing an unimpeded shot: Grêmio, 1-0. In the 44th, Alessandro found Ramon inside the area, who blasted home another goal as the keeper came out to meet him: Grêmio, 2-0.

Grêmio’s intensity in the second half was the same as in the first, with the Tricolor suffocating its opponent on its own side of the field. The difference was that Grêmio became less aggressive on offense. This allowed Goiás a few dangerous plays that put a scare in the Tricolor defense. On one such occasion, in the 27th, Danilo Portugal took a rolling shot inside the area that Evaldo managed to clear right at the goal line.

Grêmio’s 2-0 win also ended a 10-year jinx. The last time the Tricolor had beaten Goiás was in the 1996 Brazilian Championship semifinals, a 3-1 win at Serra Dourada Stadium. Grêmio will now try to break another jinx when it travels to Parque Antártica to take on Palmeiras (4 pts, 19th place) on Sunday. The Tricolor has never beaten the Alviverde in São Paulo.

Grêmio (2)	Goiás (0)
Marcelo Costa (30') Ramón (44')
Evaldo (49')	Vitor (13') Leonardo (21') Luciano Almeida (65')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Galatto; Alessandro, Evaldo, William and Wellington; Lucas, Sandro, Marcelo Costa and Hugo (Pedro Júnior, 82'); Ramón (Nunes, 92+') and Ricardinho (Tcheco, 75'). Coach: Mano Menezes	Goiás: Harlei; Leonardo, Júlio Santos and Cléber; Vítor (Luciano Almeida, 59'), Danilo Portugal, Cléber Gaúcho, Romerito and Jadílson; Roni (Welliton, 58') and Souza (Nonato, 66'). Coach: Antônio Lopes