Grêmio Beats Atlético-PR at Centenário

Playing before an empty stadium due to the penalty handed down by the CBF Tribunal, Grêmio put on its best performance thus far in the Brazilian Championship, beating Atlético-PR 2-0 at Centenário Stadium to post its second consecutive shutout win. The win propelled Grêmio (23 pts) into 8th place, its highest ranking since Round 1 of the Brazilian Championship, and solidified its place in the South American Cup qualifying zone. Atlético-PR (17 pts) fell to 16th and dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Atlético-PR’s objective was clear: take advantage of the absence of the Tricolor’s fans to capture three points on the road. Their plan came close to fruition in the 3rd minute when Denis Marques’ shot went just high of the crossbar. But that was as close as they got. Motivated by the CBF Tribunal’s decision, Grêmio came out with something to prove. The Tricolor completely dominated its adversary, creating at least four real scoring chances – two by Rômulo - in the first half alone.

Despite Grêmio’s superiority, the game remained scoreless at the half. That all changed ten minutes into the second half. Rômulo, who had been giving the Atlético defense headaches all game, found Hugo inside the area. The midfielder redeemed himself of a few erred passes in the first half, blasting home his fourth goal of the season: Grêmio, 1-0. Any hope of an Atlético comeback ended when Dagoberto was sent off for cursing at the referee. The striker forgot that the stands were empty and Wagner Tardelli did not hesitate to pull the red card.

With the numerical advantage, Grêmio had an even easier time dominating its opponent. In the 37th, Léo Lima almost scored on an angled shot, forcing Cleber to fully extend to make the save. The goalkeeper was not as lucky five minutes later when he found himself one-on-one with Herrera following a defensive lapse. The Argentine had only to lure him out of the goal to put the icing on the cake. Final score: Grêmio, 2-0.

Grêmio (2)	Atlético-PR (0)
Hugo (55') Herrera (87')
Patrício (41')	César (68') André Rocha (70') Dagoberto (74')
Venue:  Centenário Stadium, Caxias do Sul (RS)
Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Patrício, Evaldo, William and Wellington; Jeovânio, Lucas, Hugo (Herrera, 78'), Rafinha (Léo Lima, 65') and Tcheco; Rômulo (Ramón, 89'). Coach: Mano Menezes	Atlético-PR: Cléber; André Rocha, Alex (Fabrício, HT), César, João Leonardo and Ivan; Alan Bahia, Cristian (Evandro, 84') and Ferreira (Herrera, 72'); Dagoberto and Denis Marques. Coach: Oswaldo Alvarez