São Paulo Women beat Grêmio 2:0 in the quarter-finals of the Women's Brazil tournament on Friday evening. The hosts dominated proceedings from start to finish, controlling possession and creating the better chances. Grêmio struggled to get out of their own half and could not trouble the São Paulo defence at all.
By then the result was never really in doubt. São Paulo camped in the final third and had more than their fair share of attacks, while Grêmio barely managed to string three passes together. The visitors had a few shots but none really tested the goalkeeper.
And here's the thing about the numbers. São Paulo had 68 per cent possession with 12 shots to Grêmio's five. Six shots on target for the hosts versus three for the visitors tells you everything. The attack count of 167 to 57 shows who wanted the ball more.
To be fair, we had called for a home win in our preview with 57 per cent confidence. The prediction came good, and it was no surprise given how São Paulo have looked all season. They have won 13 of 17 league games and are four points clear at the top.
Grêmio sit eighth with 27 points, 14 behind the leaders. They drew 0:0 with São Paulo on their last meeting in late August, but this time the result was never in question. The away side had three yellow cards and could not match the pace.
The victory puts São Paulo in the semi-finals and keeps their title hopes alive. Grêmio now need to find a way to compete against teams that dominate possession and create more chances. The gap between the two sides is clear for everyone to see.
