Too Many Mistakes as Grêmio Trips Up at Home

Grêmio’s offense was practically nonexistent as Cúcuta held the two-time Libertadores Cup champions to a 0-0 tie at Olímpico Stadium. Although Grêmio (4 pts) still leads Group 3, it is apparent that qualifying for the Round of 16 - once thought of as a given - will not be easy. Cúcuta (2 pts) has yet to score a goal but sits in second place after consecutive 0-0 ties. Grêmio’s next Libertadores test will be on 15 March when they travel to Ibagué, Colombia, to take on Deportes Tolima.

Whoever was expecting an easy game was in for a shock. After the game was delayed an hour due to vandalism done to a transformer, the Colombians took the field looking to play the spoiler. Playing their first international match, no one gave them a chance against the powerful Brazilians. But they apparently relished their role as underdog, and soon their stout defense was to give Grêmio fits.

Douglas managed the Tricolor’s only shot of the first half in the 8th minute, the ball going just inches wide of the left post. After that, only frustration. Although they spent the majority of the game on the defensive, Cúcuta did manage to give Saja a few scares. In the 40th, Schiavi blew his cover and allowed Perez to take an open shot from inside the area. Fortunately, the ball hit the outside of the net.

Grêmio came out of fire in the second half, forcing Zapata to make three saves in the first five minutes. But as time passed and the goal did not materialize, the Tricolor began to lose composure, allowing Cúcuta to start dictating the pace of the game. In the 13th, Perez missed a sure goal when he broke free into the left side of the area and Saja managed to snatch the ball from his feet almost inside the small area.

Lucas, despite not having a good game, still managed to produce Grêmio’s best scoring chances of the second half. In the 21st, his shot from the top of the area went just wide. In the 30th, his header off a Lúcio cross hit the right post. As the minutes ticked away, it became apparent that Grêmio would have to settle for the tie. The Tricolor did have one last opportunity in the 47th, but Sandro Goiano’s shot went high over the crossbar.

After steamrolling through its Gaúcho opponents, Grêmio finally showed some weaknesses. Without Tuta, Grêmio does not have a viable offense. Douglas played well against Brasil-Pe but was far from a scoring threat against Cúcuta. But now even he is hurt, leaving Mano Menezes with the choice between Aloísio and Éverton at center-forward. Grêmio needs to be deeper at that position if it hopes to go far in this competition. Hopefully, management will go out and sign a viable substitute for Tuta. Otherwise, Grêmio may be facing an early exit from the Libertadores Cup.

Grêmio (0)	Cúcuta (0)
Schiavi (25') William (56')	Torres (5') Rueda (24') Ragua (47')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Saja; Patrício, Schiavi, William and Lúcio; Lucas, Diego Souza (Aloísio, 84'), Tcheco and Ramón (Sandro, 66'); Carlos Eduardo and Douglas (Éverton, 64'). Coach: Mano Menezes	Cúcuta: Zapata; Bustos (García, 78'), Hurtado, Moreno and Ragua; Castro, Flores, Rueda (Del Castillo, HT) and Torres; Cortez (Martínez, 73') and Blas Pérez. Coach: Jorge Luiz Bernal