Unbeaten No More
Lackluster Effort Results in First Gaúcho Championship Loss

Having already clinched Group 2 and a playoff bye, Grêmio indeed looked like it had nothing to play for in a lackluster effort that resulted in the Tricolor’s first Gaúcho Championship loss. Esportivo came from behind to hand Grêmio a 2-1 defeat at Olímpico Stadium and knock off the Gaúcho League’s last unbeaten. Despite the loss, Grêmio (34 pts) still holds a 9-point lead over Group 1 leaders Juventude (25 pts) in the race for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Esportivo (21 pts) jumped into second place and moved one step closer to a playoff berth.

At first, Grêmio had little difficulty controlling the game. Despite missing numerous passes, the Tricolor dominated Esportivo in the early going. Carlos Eduardo was all over the field and assisted on the play that resulted in Grêmio’s lone goal. In the 22nd, he found Tcheco wide open near the top of the area. The midfielder took the pass, broke towards the goal and blasted a shot past Donizetti: Grêmio, 1-0. Expecting another easy win, Grêmio got cocky. They lowered their guard and Esportivo took advantage. In the 42nd, Zé Alcino crossed from the left side into the area where Schiavi blew his coverage and allowed Caio to tie the game: 1-1.

Looking to take back the lead, Grêmio came out storming in the second half. Jhonatan and Carlos Eduardo missed unbelievable back-to-back goals in the 6th and 7th minutes. But despite having good ball movement, Grêmio was unable to find the back of the net. The Tricolor paid the price for its ineptitude in the 29th when Catatau advanced towards the area. Instead of challenging the forward, Schiavi backed up into his own area. Given some space, Catatau blasted a shot into the lower right corner to complete the comeback: Esportivo, 2-1.

The goal shell-shocked Grêmio who was unable to mount any sort of comeback of their own. In fact, the Tricolor was lucky not to have suffered a blowout. In the 46th, Esportivo had a golden opportunity to add to their lead when Schiavi pushed Catatau inside the area. Luckily for Grêmio, Juliano’s penalty kick hit the left post.

Grêmio (1)	Esportivo (2)
Tcheco (22')	Caio (42') Catatau (74')
William (82') Itaqui (88')	Luís Carlos (51') Deivis Thiago (62') Juliano (69')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Saja; Gavilán (Diego Souza, 64'), Schiavi, William and Lúcio; Nunes, Lucas, Tcheco and Jhonatan (Aloísio, 67'); Carlos Eduardo (Itaqui, 73') and Éverton. Coach: Mano Menezes	Esportivo: Donizetti; Renato, Luís Carlos and Jonathan; Jéferson, Renan, Caio (Vinicius, 78'), Sananduva and Deivis Thiago (Leonel Alvim, 85'); Zé Alcino (Anderson Catatau, HT) and Juliano. Coach: Beto Almeida