A late penalty goal against Fluminense away from home, saw Grêmio win back-to-back games for the first time in 11 games on Saturday night. It was also the first league win for Tricolor in what has been a difficult campaign so far.
Pinares scored the match-winning goal in the 90th minute after it appeared that Calegari had knocked Alisson down. Despite the fact that the initial contact happened outside of the Flu goal area, the spot kick was granted after consultation with the VAR, giving the visitors a 1-0 victory.
For the first 45 minutes, goalkeepers Muriel and Gabriel Chapecó were mostly bystanders. Grêmio, more concerned with defending, gave the ball possession to Fluminense and retreated. As a result, the hosts dominated possession but lacked inventiveness in attack.
Diego Souza had a wonderful chance to put his team ahead just before the break when he leaped higher than the Flu defenders following a corner kick, but his effort went wide.
Kannemann was issued a yellow card a few seconds after the break for pulling down Calegari. Not long after, Vanderson’s powerful attempt in the 55th minute hit the crossbar for Grêmio. Four minutes later, Luccas Claro responded as he stamped Gabriel Chapecó’s post following a corner kick.
The game moved slowly, with numerous fouls and overhead balls, culminating with Calegari pulling down Alisson in the penalty box in the 90th minute following a defensive blunder.
The referee however, ruled a foul outside the area, but upon consulting the VAR, reversed his decision and awarded the penalty which resulted to Grêmio winning their second game in a row under new management of Scolari.
Under the new veteran manager, the club has looked better in their last two games and signs of progress have been evident, which could come as a relief for the club and fans alike.
For their next outing, Grêmio will take to the pitch for another league game, hosting América-MG at the Arena on Saturday. Flu will also take on Palmeiras at Allianz Parque on the same day.
