Grêmio Women — São Paulo Women, Brasileiro Women

Greêmio and São Paulo Women played out a 0:0 draw in the quarter-finals of the Brazilian women's competition on Friday evening. The result keeps the tie alive for a second leg, though São Paulo's position at the top of the table and Greêmio's eighth-place standing made the encounter feel like a clash of trajectories rather than equalities. To be fair, neither side could claim to have dominated the narrative.

The only card of note fell at the 31st minute when Allyne Vithorya de Oliveira Sales Braga collected a yellow for Greêmio. By then the pattern was already clear — São Paulo pressing forward with the confidence of the league leaders while Greêmio looked to weather the storm. One mistake ends it in knockout football, and neither keeper was called into serious action.

And here's the thing about the statistics: São Paulo had 65 per cent possession and 129 attacks compared with Greêmio's 35 per cent and 77. Yet possession without penetration is just circulation. Greêmio managed three yellow cards to São Paulo's two, suggesting they were the ones taking the hits rather than distributing the ball.

Shots tell a tighter story. São Paulo registered just one shot on target from 129 attacks, while Greêmio had zero shots on target from 77. Both sides went begging for chances, though the visitors' xG would likely reflect their territorial superiority regardless of the final score.

São Paulo arrive at 41 points from 17 games — 13 wins, two draws, two losses — and this result does nothing to dent their lead. Greêmio sit on 27 points with eight wins, three draws and six defeats, and a quarter-final draw is a reprieve rather than a defeat. The tie remains open, and the second leg will decide who moves on.