Author: Vishwajit Sawant
Flamengo and Gremio emerged victorious in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, securing their places in the semi-finals with thrilling performances. Flamengo beat Athletico 2-0, while Gremio beat Bahia on penalties after a 1-1 draw, setting the scene for exciting encounters in the next round.
Gremio secures place in semi-final of Copa do Brasil with penalty shootout win over Bahia
After drawing 1-1 away from home, Grêmio could have taken the lead at the end of the first half at home. The ball ended up in Acevedo’s hands, but Cristaldo missed the penalty. The goalkeeper’s save inspired Bahia and, on 45 + 5 minutes, Everaldo scored with a long-range shot on the “nine” of the Gremio gate.
Midway through the second half, the hosts argued for a long time, demanding a penalty, but after checking the VAR, the referee decided there was none. There was no problem. Four minutes later, Matias Villasanti equalized with an assist from Ferreira: 1-1. Before the final whistle, the clubs exchanged shots on goal… and the penalty shootout began.
The first two shots from both teams were accurate. Then the opponents failed to score in sync – Bruno Alves hit the crossbar and Cicinho failed to deceive the goalkeeper.
Fourth shot; “Gremio” was precise, and Acevedo’s shot was saved again by the goalkeeper.
Bitelo could have given Grêmio the win, but he missed the target and Iago Felipe leveled the scores at 3-3.
The “until the first failure” series has begun. André was precise and Gabriel Grando made his third save, saving Gabriel Javier’s shot. Gremio in the Cup semi-finals.
Flamengo knock Atlético out of the Copa do Brasil for the second year running. And again in the quarter-finals
After losing 1-2 away from home, Atlético faced Flamengo at home. During the ninety minutes, the hosts had 28 shots against 8, but conceded just before the break. And that’s very embarrassing. In the 45th minute, Eric scored an own goal.
In the 59th minute, the reigning Copa champions scored themselves, but Gabriel Barbosa’s goal was disallowed for being offside. The striker scored again in the 93rd minute – this time to make it 2-0. Note that before that goal, in the 92nd minute, Atlético’s Thiago Heleno and Flamengo’s Gerson were shown straight red cards. However, that was no longer so important. With an aggregate score of 4-1, Flamengo reached the semi-finals of the Cup.
Remember that in the last draw, Flamengo, also in the quarter-finals, eliminated Atlético Paranaense (0-0, 1-0) from the tournament, winning the trophy. Let’s see if the team from Rio de Janeiro can repeat their success.