The adjustments worked, but the margins are so thin.
Na noite de terça-feira, o Grêmio encerrou a fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana com um empate que carrega em si a ambiguidade do futebol: avanço garantido, mas sabor de oportunidade não aproveitada. Diante do Montevideo City Torque, na Arena, o time de Luís Castro mostrou dois rostos distintos — fragilidade no primeiro tempo, reação no segundo — e terminou com 11 pontos no Grupo F, classificado aos playoffs pelo segundo ano seguido. É o tipo de resultado que move um clube adiante sem apagar a sensação de que o caminho poderia ter sido mais limpo.
- O Grêmio entrou em campo precisando apenas de um empate, mas o primeiro tempo revelou um time vulnerável defensivamente, cedendo espaços que o City Torque quase transformou em goleada.
- As substituições de Arthur e Gabriel Mec no intervalo mudaram o jogo de forma imediata, com o Grêmio empatando em menos de um minuto do segundo tempo.
- Um gol anulado por impedimento de Mec e uma trave de Carlos Vinícius simbolizaram a frustração de uma equipe que criou para vencer, mas não conseguiu.
- O City Torque respondeu com uma cobrança de falta precisa de Pizzichillo, recolocando os visitantes à frente e testando a resiliência gremista.
- O empate final em 2 a 2, selado por pênalti de Carlos Vinícius, foi suficiente para a classificação, mas a expulsão de Vinícius por reclamação no último minuto deixou um resíduo amargo.
- O próximo desafio já bate à porta: Corinthians no sábado pelo Brasileirão, enquanto a equipe começa a se preparar para os playoffs sul-americanos.
O Grêmio deixou a Arena na noite de terça-feira com a classificação no bolso e uma sensação de incompletude no peito. O empate em 2 a 2 com o Montevideo City Torque, pela sexta rodada do Grupo F da Copa Sul-Americana, garantiu a vaga nos playoffs pelo segundo ano consecutivo — mas o resultado poderia, e talvez devesse, ter sido diferente.
O primeiro tempo foi de um Grêmio desequilibrado. Luís Castro optou por um meio-campo mais leve, com Tiaguinho e Braithwaite como referências ofensivas, mas a estrutura deixou brechas. O City Torque desperdiçou chances claras nos minutos iniciais — Obregón e Rodríguez erraram o que não deveriam — antes de abrir o placar aos 37 minutos, quando Silveira cruzou da esquerda e Rodríguez finalizou com precisão. O intervalo chegou com o Grêmio em desvantagem e sem respostas.
O segundo tempo foi outro jogo. Com Arthur e Gabriel Mec em campo, o Grêmio empatou em menos de um minuto: Arthur encontrou Mec, que bateu no canto. A virada parecia próxima — Mec até balançou as redes novamente, mas o impedimento anulou o gol. A partir daí, o duelo se tornou aberto e intenso, com ambos os times criando e defendendo em igual medida.
Aos 38 minutos do segundo tempo, Pizzichillo cobrou falta com maestria e recolocou o City Torque à frente. A resposta gremista veio pelo pênalti convertido por Carlos Vinícius, que também acertou a trave em outra oportunidade e foi expulso por reclamação no último minuto — a frustração tornada visível.
Com 11 pontos, o Grêmio termina em segundo no grupo e segue na competição. Mas antes dos playoffs sul-americanos, há o Corinthians no sábado, pelo Brasileirão — um lembrete de que a temporada não espera por ninguém.
Grêmio left the Arena on Tuesday night with a result that felt like both progress and incompleteness. The team drew 2-2 with Montevideo City Torque in the sixth round of Group F play, securing a spot in the Copa Sul-Americana playoffs for the second consecutive year. It was the kind of outcome that advances you forward while leaving the taste of something missed.
The match unfolded in two distinct halves, each telling a different story about where Grêmio stood. In the opening 45 minutes, manager Luís Castro deployed a lighter midfield, bringing in Tiaguinho while keeping Braithwaite as the playmaker. The setup was aggressive, pushing bodies forward, but it left gaps that City Torque exploited immediately. In the second minute, Pizzichillo found space on the left and crossed to Obregón, who squandered a gift of a chance. The Uruguayan side continued to threaten. Salomón Rodríguez was sent clear on goal at the nine-minute mark and wasted another opportunity. Three minutes later, Rodríguez thought he had scored, but the goal was correctly disallowed for a handball. Grêmio controlled possession but seemed uncertain what to do with it, and the defensive vulnerabilities were real. The breakthrough came at the 37-minute mark when Silveira received the ball on the left wing, cut inside past the newly inserted Marcos Rocha, and crossed for Rodríguez to finish cleanly. City Torque led 1-0 at halftime, and Grêmio's pressure in the final minutes of the half produced nothing.
The second half began with Castro's adjustments. Arthur and Gabriel Mec entered the pitch, replacing Tiaguinho and Amuzu. The effect was immediate. In the opening minute, Arthur delivered a precise pass to Mec, who beat his marker and shot into the far corner. The score was level at 1-1. The momentum seemed to shift entirely toward Grêmio. Two minutes later, Tetê played another excellent pass to Mec, who lifted the ball over the goalkeeper in a moment of pure technique—but the flag went up. Mec was offside. The goal that would have put Grêmio ahead was erased.
What followed was sustained pressure. Marcos Rocha and Tetê both tested the goalkeeper from the right side. Arthur found Carlos Vinícius, who struck a powerful shot that Torgnascioli saved well. City Torque answered with danger of their own. Agüero and Rodríguez both had chances that Weverton had to save. At the 27-minute mark, Pedro Gabriel crossed from the left and Carlos Vinícius met it with a header that struck the left post and bounced away. The game had become a genuine contest, both teams creating opportunities, both capable of scoring.
City Torque found the net again at the 38-minute mark through a stunning free kick. Pizzichillo struck from the edge of the area and bent the ball into the right corner with precision. It was 2-1 to the visitors. Grêmio's response came quickly. Braithwaite was brought down inside the box, and Carlos Vinícius converted the penalty with composure to make it 2-2. In the closing moments, Enamorado crossed from the right and Vinícius had one more chance, but Torgnascioli made another fine save. Vinícius was sent off in the final minute for dissent, a frustration made visible.
With the draw, Grêmio finished second in Group F with 11 points, enough to advance to the playoff stage. The team's next fixture is a Brasileirão match against Corinthians on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Porto Alegre. The Copa Sul-Americana campaign continues, but the sense from this night was of a team that created enough to win but could not quite finish the job.
Notable Quotes
Grêmio created enough chances to win but could not quite finish the job— Match analysis
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a draw that advances you feel like a loss?
Because Grêmio created enough chances to win. They had the better second half, they had the momentum, and they had Carlos Vinícius with multiple opportunities. In football, that's the frustration—you did enough to deserve more, but the ball didn't cooperate.
The first half looked chaotic. What was Castro trying to do?
He wanted to attack, to press forward. He brought in Tiaguinho for a lighter midfield. But when you push that hard without defensive discipline, you leave spaces. City Torque exploited those spaces perfectly. It was a gamble that didn't pay off in the first 45 minutes.
Then he made changes at halftime and it worked immediately.
Exactly. Arthur and Gabriel Mec came on, and suddenly there was better rhythm, better passing, better organization. Mec scored in the first minute. But then he had a legitimate goal disallowed for offside. That's the cruel part—the adjustments worked, but the margins are so thin.
What about that free kick from Pizzichillo?
It was technically excellent. He bent it from outside the box into the corner with real precision. That's the kind of goal you can't defend against—it's just quality. But Grêmio answered immediately with the penalty, so they showed character.
Does advancing to the playoffs feel like success here?
It's progress. Second year in a row means consistency. But the way it happened—needing a penalty in the 43rd minute to get a draw—it leaves you wanting. They'll go to Corinthians on Saturday still thinking about what could have been.
What's the path forward now?
The playoffs are single-elimination, so everything changes. This group stage is done. Now it's about who you face and whether the team can find that second-half intensity from the start.