Grêmio is the new vice-leader of Serie B of the Brazilian Championship. This Saturday (23), Tricolor beat Ponte Preta 2-1, at Arena, in Porto Alegre, for the 20th round.
The match marked the return of midfielder Lucas Leiva, back to the Rio Grande do Sul team after 15 years in European football. He entered the field in the 14th minute of the second half, along with striker Guilherme, another child of the tricolor base, who left the club in 2016.
With 36 points, Grêmio took advantage of the stumbles of Vasco and Bahia and overtook them at once, jumping from fourth to second place, nine points behind leader Cruzeiro. Macaca is in 14th place, with 22 points, two more than CSA, 17th and the first team in the relegation zone.
Tricolor opened the scoring with a great goal scored by striker Diego Souza, after midfielder Mathias Villasanti’s release, ten minutes into the first half. At 23, Villasanti launched a counterattack with forward Ferreira, who hit the post. Midfielder Jaminton Campaz took the remainder and extended it to the gauchos.
At 13 minutes of the final stage, midfielder Walisson took advantage of a corner kick from the right and decreased to Ponte. The paulistas were excited and worried the almost 42 thousand fans at the Arena, but the white-and-white pressure could not break the tricolor marking.
Grêmio opens the 21st round of Série B next Tuesday (26), against Chapecoense, at Arena Condá, in Chapecó (SC), at 18:30 (Brasilia time). Ponte Preta will only play next Saturday (30), at 7pm, against Operário-PR, at Moisés Lucarelli, in Campinas (SP).
Also this Saturday, the lantern Vila Nova ended a fast of 13 games without victories by beating Vasco at Serra Dourada, in Goiânia, by 1 to 0. At seven minutes of the second stage, defender Rafael Donato appeared between the cruzmaltina marking and scored to the Tiger, head on.
Goiás remain in the last position, now with 17 points, three behind Ituano, 16th place and the first team outside the Z4. The Cariocas, with 35 points, have reached three matches without winning in Serie B and fell from second to third place.
Vasco’s commitment to the 21st round will be next Thursday (28), at 7 pm, in São Januário, Rio de Janeiro, against CRB. On Saturday, at 6:30 pm, Vila takes on Novorizontino at the Jorge Ismael de Biasi stadium, in Novo Horizonte (SP).
