International won the biggest Brazilian classic, the GreNal, against their great rival, Grêmio, by 3-2 in an electrifying match played at Beira-Rio.
Image: Instagram Internacional – R. Duarte
Index
Game Context
There is no need to explain the rivalry between Internacional and Grêmio, which, at least for us, is the biggest among Brazilian clubs.
The way both teams came into this match was different.
Grêmio has been performing well in the Brasileirão, so even with the loss yesterday, they managed to keep the 3rd place they already held before the match.
Clearly, Grêmio’s goal was to win and become the runner-up since Red Bull Bragantino only drew with Athletico Paranaense, 1-1, at the Arena da Baixada.
On the other hand, Internacional had just suffered a traumatic elimination. The Colorado hasn’t been doing well in the Brazilian Championship and is flirting with the relegation zone.
Now, in 12th place, a loss for Clube do Povo could mean being only 2 points away from the first team in the relegation zone, Vasco, who has 27 points.
So, the pressure on the shoulders of the Colorado players was enormous. But the same applied to Grêmio.
Nothing better than a GreNal to erase the memory of a painful elimination in a Libertadores semifinal, and Chacho Coudet’s team understood that message very well, even though they made some mistakes that need to be avoided
Grenal 440
Knowing the absolute need for a positive result, both to climb the table and to avoid a revolt from their fans, Internacional imposed a very high tempo from the beginning of the match.
The result of this early pressure was the goal, just 5 minutes into the game. Interestingly, it was scored by a player who had gone from hero to zero in recent weeks.
Enner Valencia, a World Cup star for the Ecuadorian national team, was praised by the Internacional fans for helping the club reach the Libertadores semifinal. However, he was also blamed for the elimination against Fluminense, as he missed four clear chances in the decisive match.
The Colorado striker battled the Grêmio defense for the ball, which caused it to bounce in front of him. Alan Patrick passed to Enner, who was charging into the box. The Ecuadorian shot, Grando saved, but the rebound came back to him with the open goal, opening the scoring for Inter.
Image: Instagram Internacional – R. Duarte
Inter continued to be the team with the best chances in the match and dominated the entire first half. However, one negative aspect stands out. The clear chances fell to Enner Valencia, who was always well-positioned, it’s true. But he missed two good opportunities, one of them a one-on-one with the Grêmio goalkeeper.
Opportunities like these cannot be wasted, as they will often come back to haunt you during the match, which almost happened in GreNal 440.
Valencia must remain calm and confident in his goal-scoring ability, which is undeniable. This was his first goal in the Brasileirão, and many more are likely to come.
Inter started the second half with a high-pressing strategy, and that’s how the second goal was born. Just 48 minutes into the game, Renê, who had also been heavily criticized by the fans for the Libertadores elimination, made a fantastic tackle.
As if that weren’t enough, Renê’s tackle provided Wanderson with the ball. The winger used his specialty, going for an individual play, dribbling past two Grêmio players, and shooting low to increase the lead. Inter 2-0 Grêmio.
Until the 55th minute, Inter still had two more opportunities created and shot from inside Grêmio’s penalty area, but they were not converted.
Thus, at 66′, in a ball lifted into the home team’s area by Grêmio, it was poorly cleared by the defense, and it fell to right-back João Pedro, who did not hesitate to shoot from outside the area with his left foot.
The shot was weak and right at the goalkeeper, but Grêmio benefited from a rare mistake by Rochet, who has been one of the team’s standout performers since his arrival. Grêmio reduced the deficit.
Probably, some nervousness must have crept into the minds of the Internacional players. Would they once again be unable to maintain the lead?
That was not the case. Just one minute after Grêmio’s goal, Maurício made a beautiful play and passed to Allan Patrick inside the box, who finished past Grando. Inter 3-1 Grêmio.
Image: Instagram Internacional – R. Duarte
However, GreNal 440 was not over yet. In a rollercoaster of emotions and just three minutes after Inter’s goal, the eternal star, Luis Suárez, had a long-distance free-kick to take.
Rochet set up the wall, which opened up exactly where the ball went, leaving Rochet with no reaction. At 73′, Luisito scored another goal wearing the Grêmio shirt and once again in a GreNal.
Although the goals were very close, this was the final gasp for both teams. GreNal 440 ended with a Colorado victory.
Internacional breathes in the fight against relegation, and Grêmio sees the possibility of taking second place slipping away.
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Written by Vitor F L Miller.
