Four Score Encore
Grêmio Repeats 4-0 Scoreline, Solidifies Hold on Second Place

It’s official: Grêmio is a contender for the Brazilian title.

Grêmio put on a repeat performance of Sunday’s 4-0 throttling of Botafogo, routing Ponte Preta by the same score to solidify its second place position. The Tricolor is 9-2-1 in its last 12 games and extended its current unbeaten streak to seven. Grêmio (45 pts) is now 5 points ahead of Santos (3rd place, 40 pts) and Internacional (4th place, 40 pts) and trails only leaders São Paulo (49 pts). Ponte Preta ( pts) fell to 16th and in close proximity to the relegation zone.

Grêmio gave its opponent no chance from the initial whistle. Feeding off the energy of its home crowd, Grêmio suffocated Ponte Preta, keeping the Monkeys trapped on its own side of the field. In the 19th, Léo Lima stole the ball on the left side and crossed into the area. Hugo hit a left-footed shot past Jean for his sixth goal of the competition: Grêmio, 1-0. Following the score, Grêmio continued to dominate but was only able to increase its advantage near the end of the half. In the 43rd, Lucas received a long pass inside the area, shook off his defender and hit the back of the net: Grêmio, 2-0.

In the second half, Mano Menezes altered his lineup. After asking to leave the field, Tcheco and William were replaced by Sandro and Maidana, respectively. But the most significant move was Herrera’s coming in for Rômulo who, despite not having scored a goal, left the game to a standing ovation. Herrera, the consummate team player, took advantage of his playing time to become the team’s leading scorer. In the 28th, he headed home a corner kick to make the score 3-0. Ponte Preta finally got in a shot in the 31st when Tuto forced Marcelo Grohe to make his only save of the game. Herrera put an exclamation mark on the victory in the 46th after Lucas passed him the ball inside the area. The Argentine had only to redirect the ball into the net: Grêmio, 4-0. It was his eighth goal of the Brazilian Championship and 12th goal overall.

Up to this point, I had doubts about whether Grêmio was for real. Fresh off its return to Série A, the season began with the modest goal of securing a South American Cup berth. As the wins accumulated, the goal shifted to a Libertadores Cup berth. But even after reaching the top four, I wondered when the bubble was going to burst. Wonder no more. Grêmio has a 5-point lead over 3rd-place Santos and a 9-point lead over 5th-place Vasco. The goal is no longer a Libertadores Cup berth but the Brazilian title itself. The Tricolor trails São Paulo by only four points with a matchup scheduled for Olímpico on October 21st. There is still a lot of football to be played before then and the Tricolor must focus on one game at a time. Grêmio now faces a huge road test as it takes on 17th-place Goiás on Sunday in Goiânia. Grêmio has not beaten Goiás (30 pts) on the road since 1996, the last time the Tricolor won the title.

Grêmio (4)	Ponte Preta (0)
Hugo (19') Lucas (43') Herrera (73') Herrera (91+')
Hugo (21')	Tuto (18') Tiago Mathias (30') Rafael Santos (45') Nei (54') Régis (90')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Patrício, William (Maidana, 74'), Evaldo and Wellington; Jeovânio, Lucas, Tcheco (Sandro Goiano, 79'), Léo Lima and Hugo; Rômulo (Herrera, 68'). Coach: Mano Menezes	Ponte Preta: Jean; Thiago Matias, Rafael Santos and Régis; Nei, Carlinhos, Ricardo Conceição, Almir (Jean Carlos, 66') and Iran (Wellington, 46'); Vélber (Mossoró, 46') and Tuto. Coach: Marco Aurélio