Grêmio Implodes in Goiás

Mano Menezes will be in no hurry to return to the state of Goiás.

Coming off back to back 4-0 victories at home, Grêmio imploded in Goiânia, losing by 4-0 to Goiás and blowing an opportunity to close in on leader São Paulo. The game was reminiscent of Grêmio’s last visit to the state when a 4-0 blowout to Anapolina during the Tricolor’s Série B campaign in 2005 put Mano on the hot seat. The result snapped Grêmio’s seven-game unbeaten streak and maintained the Tricolor (45 pts) in second place and four points behind São Paulo (49 pts). Goiás (33 pts) moved out of the relegation zone and into 15th place.

Grêmio took the field knowing that São Paulo had lost 3-1 to Palmeiras earlier in the day and that a simple victory over relegation-threatened Goiás would pull the Tricolor to within 1 point of the leaders. Perhaps the back-to-back blowouts of Botafogo and Ponte Preta made the Tricolor overconfident. Or perhaps they took their 17th-placed opposition too lightly. Whatever the cause, Grêmio laid an egg in Goiânia.

Despite what the lopsided score might indicate, it wasn’t as if the Tricolor didn’t have its chances. Grêmio had dominion of the midfield in the first half, thanks mostly to the efforts of Léo Lima. In the 16th, he stole the ball at midfield, broke down the left side and forced Harley to make a difficult save. He missed another in the 36th when he shot over the crossbar after receiving a pass from Ramón inside the area.

The blowout began in the 35th minute when the Grêmio defense gave up on a ball headed for the back line. Vitor got to it in time, however, and crossed into the area to a wide-open Souza, who dominated the ball and shot into the upper right corner: Goiás, 1-0. Four minutes later, Vitor broke into the area and shot at goal. Marcelo defended, but Jadílson was there for the rebound: Goiás, 2-0.

Mano replaced Ramón with Herrera for the second half, but the move had little effect on the field. To make matters worse, Léo Lima left just two minutes into the final period complaining of pain in his left knee. Without its star midfielder, Grêmio’s offense sputtered. Goiás put the game out of reach in the 18th when Johnson, after receiving a cross from Romerito, headed the ball into the upper left corner of the goal: Goiás, 3-0. In the 23rd, Souza dribbled past Evaldo, left Marcelo sprawled on the floor and out maneuvered William before shooting into an empty net: Goiás, 4-0. With the game decided, Goiás was content to trade passes while Grêmio merely waited for the final whistle to end the debacle.

After posting back-to-back 4-0 wins at home, no one would have expected this result. We all knew Grêmio would lose eventually, but like this? Maybe the players got cocky despite Mano’s attempts to keep them level headed. But although the Tricolor has been brought back down to earth, it is no time to panic. This game was an aberration. Grêmio is still in second place and firmly planted in the Libertadores Cup zone. Win against Palmeiras on October 4th and this game will be forgotten. And who knows? Last year, Grêmio turned its season around following the loss to Anapolina and went on to win the Série B title. Will a similar fate await them this year?

Goiás (4)	Grêmio (0)
Souza (35') Jadílson (39') Johnson (63') Souza (68')
Souza (13’) Romerito (16’) Cléber (73’)	Léo Lima (11’) Jeovânio (13’) Evaldo (23’) Lucas (86’)
Venue:  Serra Dourada Stadium, Goiânia (GO)
Goiás: Harlei; Rafael Dias, Aldo and Galeano; Vítor, Cléber, Romerito, Róbson Luiz (Juliano, 61’) and Jadílson; Johnson (Muñoz, 88’) and Souza (Danilo Portugal, 87’). Coach: Geninho	Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe; Patrício, William, Evaldo and Wellington; Jeovânio (Sandro, 60’), Lucas, Tcheco, Léo Lima (Rafinha, 47’) and Ramón (Herrera, HT); Rômulo. Coach: Mano Menezes