Grêmio Humiliates Brasil-Pe, 6-2
Defense Allows First Goals of Season After Taking 4-0

After 652 minutes without allowing a goal, Gremio's defense finally succumbed. Régis scored in the 22nd minute for Brasil-Pe to end the Tricolor’s streak of consecutive shutouts at seven. It was of little consolation to the Gaúcho League’s last place team as they wound up on the wrong side of a 6-2 thrashing. Grêmio (21 pts) is still unbeaten and untied at 8-0-0 and holds a commanding 8-point lead in Group 2 of the Gaúcho State Championship. The Tricolor will visit 7th place São José-CS on Sunday before hosting Deportivo Cúcuta in a Libertadores Cup match. Brasil-Pe (5 pts) will host 2nd place Caxias (13 pts).

The game was over almost before it really began. In the 4th minute, Tcheco sent a corner kick clear to the area to William, who then sent the ball across the goal mouth. It passed by the goalkeeper to Schiavi, who stuck out his foot to guide it into the net: Grêmio, 1-0. Two minutes later, Douglas showed his merits after blasting through a rocket from the top of the area: Grêmio, 2-0. Before Brasil-Pe could collect itself, the Tricolor struck again. In the 11th, Douglas received a perfect pass from Lucas inside the area and was taken down before he was able to take a shot. Tcheco converted the penalty kick, his third of the season: Grêmio, 3-0. The massacre continued when in the 18th Schiavi returned the favor by serving up William: Grêmio, 4-0.

The first half would have been perfect but for a single play. In the 22nd, Maicon served up a cross to a wide-open Régis, and for the first time this season a Tricolor goalkeeper had to retrieve a ball from the back of his own net: Grêmio, 4-1. The goal prevented Saja, who had yet to be scored upon in a Grêmio jersey, from matching Danrlei’s club record of six straight shutouts, accomplished in 1994.

With the game practically decided, Grêmio let off the gas in the second half. But even then the Tricolor’s superiority was too much for Brasil-Pe. In the 19th Carlos Eduardo, Grêmio’s revelation of 2007, broke free and found a wide-open Ramón inside the area: Grêmio, 5-1. In the 27th, he took the shot himself, blasting the ball past Rodrigo, who for the sixth time had to reach into the back of his net: Grêmio, 6-1.

With the game now a farce, Mano Menezes pulled Douglas in order to preserve his only remaining center-forward. Brasil-Pe did manage to regain some honor, scoring again in injury time. In the 47th, Cláudio Millar blasted a shot from the top of the area to join his teammate Régis as the only players to beat Saja this season. Final score: Grêmio, 6-2.

Grêmio will now face São José-CS in Cachoeira do Sul on Sunday before hosting Deportivo Cúcuta in its Libertadores Cup home opener on Tuesday. Mano Menezes will likely field a reserve team against São José-CS in order to preserve his starters for their match against the Colombians.

Grêmio (6)	Brasil-Pe (2)
Schiavi (5') Douglas (8') Tcheco (11' PK) William (18') Ramón (65') Carlos Eduardo (73')	Régis (23') Cláudio Milar (92+')
Patrício (89')	Batata (25') Batata (74') Marcos Basílio (78')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Saja, Patrício, Schiavi, William (Teco, 61') and Lúcio; Lucas (Sandro Goiano, 76'), Diego Souza, Tcheco and Ramón; Carlos Eduardo and Douglas (Everton, 67'). Coach: Mano Menezes	Brasil-Pe: Rodrigo Silva, Alex Silveira (Batata, 19'), Scharles, Matheus and Fabrício; Régis, Marcos Basílio, Ramón (Alex Martins, 77') and Maycon; Guilherme Só (Matão, 61') and Cláudio Milar. Coach: Suca