Grêmio defeated Athletico-PR 2-0 at the Arena on Thursday night (29) in the 32nd round of the Brasileirão, a result that moved the Porto Alegre club out of the relegation zone, according to GZH. Marlon scored in the first half and Balbuena added the second after the break.
The win lifted Grêmio two places to 15th on 37 points, level with Mirassol directly below them. The result also pushed rivals Internacional into the bottom four, GZH reported.
Why it matters
For a club of Grêmio's size, the threat of relegation has hung over the season, and Thursday's result eased some of that pressure with six rounds remaining. Moving clear of the drop zone — even by a narrow margin — changes the mood around a squad that has drawn heavy scrutiny.
GZH's post-match player ratings reflected a team that did the job without dominating. The outlet named a holding midfielder as the game's top performer, while also flagging wastefulness in front of goal that kept the scoreline closer than the run of play might have suggested.
GZH's ratings: the standouts
GZH's ratings, published in its Cotação ZH feature, gave the highest mark of 7.5 to a Peruvian midfielder who played as a defensive midfielder. The outlet said he gave the team security in that role and avoided the mistakes he had made when deployed as a centre-back.
Goalkeeper Weverton received a 7. GZH credited him with two decisive saves in the second half.
The same mark went to a defender who, according to the outlet, was effective in his limited attacking forays and defended well alongside Gustavo Martins. GZH scored him 6.5.
The ratings were less kind elsewhere. One player described as a danger with the ball at his feet received a 4, with GZH noting he gave the ball away too often for someone playing in midfield. Another was scored 5; the outlet said he ran a great deal but missed the chances that could have put the game beyond doubt.
Further up the pitch, GZH called one forward the team's most dangerous player, saying he found space in the Athletico-PR defence, and gave him a 6. Another attacker earned a 6 for producing more than in recent matches, though the outlet noted he picked up a yellow card. A third was rated 6, with GZH observing he was more focused on disrupting Athletico's build-up than on getting into the box to shoot.
GZH said Viveros justified the coaching staff's decision to start him, creating dangerous situations despite knee pain.
Context and reaction
The result came in Renato Portaluppi's 300th Brasileirão match as Grêmio coach, a milestone GZH noted alongside its coverage. The outlet's columnists were broadly positive: one wrote that Renato had changed Grêmio, another called it a great night for the club, and a third said the Grêmio of Renato had finally shown up.
GZH's match coverage also included a separate report on the game's incidents and the club's league position.
Attention now shifts away from the league. Grêmio host Atlético-MG on Sunday (1) at 18h30 in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil semi-finals, per GZH.
