The Ascension Continues
Grêmio Sweeps Corinthians, Breaks Into Libertadores Cup Zone

Grêmio continued its remarkable climb in the Brazilian Championship standings, finishing Round 20 in 3rd place and in the Libertadores Cup qualifying zone after completing a season sweep of Corinthians. The Tricolor beat the defending champions 2-0 at Pacaembu, repeating the scoreline of the first meeting. Grêmio (32 pts) has won five of its last six games, only one of which has been played at Olímpico due to the penalty imposed by the STJD. Corinthians (20 pts), meanwhile, racked up its league-leading 12th loss and remained stationed in the relegation zone at 18th place.

The tone of the game was set early. In the 1st minute, Paulo Almeida fouled Léo Lima in the midfield. Tcheco took the free kick and sent it to Lucas, whose shot just glanced the wrong side of the post. That play was just a taste of what was to come. The Tricolor dominated the first half, suffocating the Corinthians defense and snuffing out any offense the Timão could muster.

But despite its superiority, Grêmio did not get another real scoring opportunity until the 26th. Léo Lima passed to Rômulo, who somehow missed on a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Grêmio finally got on the board in the 30th when Evaldo out-leaped the defense on a Tcheco corner kick: Grêmio, 1-0. Corinthians had an opportunity in the 37th, but Rosinei was unable to reach Carlos Alberto’s cross.

Despite alterations to the Corinthians lineup for the second half, Grêmio continued to dominate. The Timão was handed a huge handicap in the 9th when Mascherano committed a foul and was booked for arguing. Even after receiving the yellow card, the Argentine continued to protest and referee Evandro Rogério Roman, who was in no mood for discussion, sent the Corinthiano to the showers.

But contrary to what one would expect, it was Corinthians who played better following the ejection. In the 13th, Marinho received a cross inside the area and forced Marcelo Grohe into a difficult save of a well-placed header. In an effort to get his team back in rhythm, Mano Menezes pulled Léo Lima and Hugo in favor Ramón and Rafinha. Grêmio’s midfield mobility improved until the 27th when Lucas was ejected after game-delaying tactics following a foul. He had been booked earlier in the first half.

With the sides even, it appeared all the momentum was with Corinthians. But the Timão could not make its homefield advantage count. In the 35th, Rômulo redeemed himself for a poor game, heading home a Tcheco corner to ice the game: Grêmio, 2-0. Corinthians tried to respond, but the Tricolor defense held firm.

Used to being the hunter, Grêmio will now take on the role of hunted as it tries to defend its third-place ranking against 7th place Cruzeiro in Caxias do Sul. It will be the final game of the three game penalty imposed by the STJD for the acts of vandalism committed by hooligans at the Gre-Nal on July 30th. Grêmio will return to Olímpico next Sunday when it hosts 5th place Paraná.

Corinthians (0)	Grêmio (2)
	Evaldo (30') Rômulo (80')
Marcus Vinícius (30') Mascherano (52') Mascherano (52') Betão (60')	Lucas (10') Jeovânio (26') Evaldo (57') Lucas (72')
Venue:  Pacaembu Stadium, São Paulo (SP)
Corinthians: Marcelo, Marinho, Betão and Marcus Vinícius (Rafael Moura, HT); Eduardo Ratinho, Paulo Almeida, Mascherano, Rosinei, Carlos Alberto (Renato, 62') and Rubens Júnior (André Leone, HT); Nadson. Coach: Emerson Leão	Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Patrício, Evaldo, William and Wellington; Jeovânio, Lucas, Hugo (Rafinha, 70'), Léo Lima (Ramón, 63') and Tcheco (Nunes, 88'); Rômulo. Coach: Mano Menezes