Grêmio Ties With Vasco, Falls to Fourth Place

Grêmio tied 1-1 with Vasco at São Januário Stadium to extend its unbeaten streak to five games. Grêmio (39 pts) dropped a spot into fourth place after Internacional (40 pts) moved into second with a 2-0 victory over Atlético-PR. The result, however, maintained the Tricolor’s four-point cushion over Vasco (35 pts), who remained in 5th place and just outside the Libertadores qualifying zone. São Paulo (43 pts) still leads the competition, while Santos (39 pts) is in third.

Looking to avenge its one home loss of the season, Grêmio took control of the game early. Playing tight defense, the Tricolor did not allow Vasco many opportunities to score. On the other end of the field, Grêmio continually harassed Cássio and the Vasco goal. Its persistence paid off in the 32nd minute when Lucas took a distance shot from outside the area: Grêmio, 1-0. But the lead did not last. Despite dominating the game. the Tricolor allowed Vasco to pull even in the 40th after committing a foul at the top of the area. Andrade took the free kick to perfection, equalizing for the home team: 1-1. Grêmio lost an opportunity to retake the lead after referee Cleber Wellington Abade failed to award a penalty when Rômulo’s shot was deflected by the arm of a Vasco defender.

The second half was sloppy, with many erred passes on both sides. Rômulo became a non-factor as the ball rarely reached him. Mano Menezes attempted to spark the offense by pulling Ramón and Hugo in favor of Rafinha and Ricardinho. While the moves did give the offense more life, it did not result in goals. Later, Mano pulled Rômulo and put in Rudnei in order to shore up the defense in an effort to preserve the tie. As Vasco had offensive difficulties of its own, they rarely threatened and the game ended in a draw.

Grêmio will now prepare for a two-game home stand, starting with 12th-place Botafogo (30 pts) next Sunday. In their earlier meeting, Grêmio rallied from an early 2-0 hole to tie the game at 2-2 in Rio de Janeiro. The Tricolor will then host 17th-place Ponte Preta (26 pts) the following Wednesday.

Vasco (1)	Grêmio (1)
Andrade (40')	Lucas (32')
Fábio Braz (14') Ygor (23') Faioli (45') Jean (50')	Wellington (6') Hugo (38')
Venue:  São Januário Stadium, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Vasco: Cássio; Fábio Braz, Carlão and Paulão; Wagner Diniz, Ygor, Andrade (Madson, 70'), Morais and Diego; Jean (Fábio Júnior, 75') and Faioli (Valdiram, 62'). Coach: Renato Portaluppi	Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Patrício, William, Evaldo and Wellington; Jeovânio, Lucas, Tcheco, Ramón (Rafinha, 66') and Hugo (Ricardinho, 79'); Rômulo (Rudnei, 86'). Coach: Mano Menezes