Grêmio Beats Cerro, Advances in Libertadores Cup

Needing a win to stay alive in the competition, Grêmio managed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cerro Porteño at Olímpico Stadium in the final round of the Libertadores Cup group stage. Grêmio (10 pts), who began the night in third place, finished atop Group 3 after Cúcuta’s come-from-behind 4-3 victory over compatriots Deportes Tolima in Ibagué. The results qualify Grêmio and Cúcuta (9 pts) for the playoffs. Cerro Porteño and Deportes Tolima, both of whom could have qualified with a tie, finished with 7 points each and have been eliminated.

As expected, Cerro Porteño came to Olímpico with a very well organized defensive strategy. Their use of three fullbacks frustrated the Tricolor’s attempts at creating scoring chances. But they did not just sit back and defend. On the contrary, it was the Paraguayans who produced the first shot on goal. In the 8th minute, Saja mistimed an attempt to intercept a cross, giving Salcedo a wide open target. Fortunately, his header went wide left.

Grêmio’s first shot on goal came in the 25th when Navarro defended Patrício’s attempt. In succession, Diego Souza and Tuta each missed opportunities to get the Tricolor on the board. In the 32nd, Tcheco sent a free kick from the left side of the area to the left post where Teco met the ball for a spectacular header. But Grêmio’s celebrations were cut short as the line judge signaled offsides and the goal was disallowed. Television replays showed that Teco came from behind the defensive line when the ball was kicked and that the goal should have stood.

The second half saw little change. Neither team made any modifications as Grêmio continued to maintain the majority of the possession but was unable to crack the Cerro defense. The climate was tense as time was beginning to run out on the Tricolor. In the 19th, Mano Menezes put in Éverton in place of Nunes and went to a 4-3-3. With three forwards, Grêmio was pulling out all the stops. And once again, Mano hit the mark with his tactical maneuvering. In the 24th, Sandro Goiano sent a free kick into the area where Éverton connected on a header. As good as he was playing, even Navarro was unable to stop this one from going in: Grêmio, 1-0. It was the result that would see Grêmio through to the playoffs. Sensing elimination, Cerro Porteño went on the offensive and produced a couple of scares, including a shot that went across the mouth of the goal in the final minute. But Grêmio held on and, thanks to Cúcuta’s win over Tolima, finished in first place.

Grêmio must now wait to find out who their opponent in the Round of 16 will be. Possible adversaries include Mexican clubs América and Necaxa, Chile’s Audax Italiano, Uruguay’s Nacional, and Brazilian champions São Paulo. Whichever team it turns out to be, Grêmio will need to dramatically step up its level of play. While Grêmio did finish first in its group, as many expected, it did so in a very unexpected fashion. The Tricolor struggled against inferior opponents, managing only 4 goals in its six group stage games. Grêmio’s three wins were all by a meager 1-0 margin as the Tricolor failed to dominate a single game, even at home. If Grêmio hopes to make any noise in the playoffs, it cannot have a repeat of its 3-1 loss to Cúcuta two weeks ago and must be able to score more than one goal when playing in front of its home crowd. Continue to play at the level it has, and Grêmio will be looking at an early exit.

Grêmio (1)	Cerro Porteño (0)
Éverton (69')
Patrício (35') William (73') Tuta (82') Diego Souza (89')	Achucarro (3') Pérez (23') Navarro (26') Cabrera (54') Salcedo (66')
Venue:  Olímpico Stadium, Porto Alegre (RS)
Grêmio: Saja; Patrício, William, Teco and Lúcio; Nunes (Éverton, 64'), Sandro Goiano, Tcheco (William Magrão, 84') and Diego Souza; Carlos Eduardo (Edmílson, 74') and Tuta. Coach: Mano Menezes	Cerro Porteño: Navarro; Rojas, Pérez and Cabrera e Álvarez; Morínigo (Da Silva, 72'), González, Britez (Cristaldo, 81') and Salcedo; Ramírez and Achucarro (Godoy, 75'). Coach: Gustavo Costas