3-25-07 - Caxias and Juventude Clinch Playoff Berths

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s Libertadores Cup showdown with Deportes Caxias and Juventude joined Grêmio in the Gaúcho Championship postseason after big wins this past weekend. Juventude (28 pts) snapped a two game winless streak, beating 8th-place Glória in Vacaria. The Alviverde now has sole possession of first place in Group 1, moving 3 points ahead of second place Ulbra (25 pts). Ulbra can clinch with one more win and still has a shot at winning the group. Coming in third is Inter (22 pts) who managed a narrow 1-0 victory over Guarany-Ba in a must-win game for both teams.

In Group 2, Caxias beat then second place Esportivo 2-1 to become the new No. 2 behind Grêmio. Caxias (23 pts) holds a 2-point lead over Esporitivo (21 pts) but has played one game less. Esportivo needs only 2 points in its last three games to clinch the final Group 2 berth.

The top three teams from each group advance to the playoffs with the group winners receiving byes into the semifinals.