Botafogo beat Grêmio 3-2 at the Nilton Santos Stadium on Tuesday night in a match that decided very little in the table, but meant everything for pride. The hosts moved three points clear of their visitors, who remain in the relegation zone after twenty-eight games.
Danilo dos Santos de Oliveira opened the scoring in the thirtieth minute, a moment that caught Grêmio off guard. Jovane Cabral equalised six minutes later, and the half ended with Botafogo ahead after Edenilson and Lucas Monzon came on for both sides at the break. Álvaro Montoro restored Botafogo's lead in the fifty-second minute, and by then things came to a head. Danilo dos Santos de Oliveira made it two goals in the seventy-ninth minute, and Grêmio pushed for a response. Gustavo Martins found the net in the eighty-eighth minute, and Botafogo held on despite a late VAR disallowance for Carlos Vinícius.
Botafogo had 36 per cent of the ball and seven shots on target, while Grêmio controlled 64 per cent with three on target. The hosts registered an expected goals total of 0.87 to Grêmio's 0.59, and their efficiency told the story. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging — a phrase that fits more often for the visitors than the hosts.
We had called a Botafogo win before the match with 45 per cent confidence, and the result confirmed that call. It wasn't a dominant display, but the hosts took their moments when they mattered. The win keeps them in twelfth place with thirty-five points, while Grêmio slip further behind in seventeenth with twenty-nine.
Botafogo's recent form had been inconsistent, with defeats to Flamengo and Atlético Paranaense and draws against Bragantino and Palmeiras. Grêmio had lost to Vasco da Gama and Vitória before winning twice against Internacional and Chapecoense. This result doesn't solve either team's problems, but it gives the hosts something to build on.
