Grêmio secured their place in the Brazilian Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Internacional. The match took place on Wednesday evening at Porto Alegre. Carlos Vinícius scored twice, opening the account in the fourteenth minute before doubling the lead shortly before half-time. Internacional struggled to find their rhythm from the outset.
The visitors had possession but lacked purpose. «And here's the thing», Internacional accumulated forty-three crosses but managed only two successful ones. Their defenders cleared sixteen balls compared to Grêmio's fifty-one, a sign of sustained pressure. Thiago Maia picked up a yellow card at twenty-nine minutes for a late challenge.
The statistics painted a picture of dominance without conversion. Internacional held sixty percent of the ball and registered twelve shots off target. Grêmio, by contrast, struck five times on goal and landed two. The expected goals figures — 1.32 to 1.05 — suggested a tighter contest than the scoreline implied.
Internacional introduced Bruno Henrique at fifty-eight minutes in a bid to find an equaliser. The substitution was part of a series that saw Cristian Pavón and Walter Kannemann also replaced. Grêmio's manager kept his structure intact, trusting the defence to hold firm.
The result caps a difficult run for Internacional, who had drawn four of their previous five matches. They had not won since their last league fixture before this cup exit. Grêmio, meanwhile, bounced back from a loss to Bragantino and a stalemate with Internacional earlier this month.
