Grêmio defeated Atlético-MG 2–0 in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil tie on Sunday, 1 November. Carlos Vinícius opened the scoring in the 11th minute and Erick Noriega added the second in the 47th, as shown in ESPN’s final match record.
Two accurate attempts produced two goals
The possession and shooting figures tell a different story from the scoreboard. Atlético had 76% of the ball and attempted 20 shots, four on target, without scoring. Grêmio attempted six shots in total and converted both of their on-target efforts into goals. The distinction is finishing output in this particular match, rather than an assumption that the team with more possession must win.
Gustavo Martins was sent off in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but the score did not change. Grêmio therefore leave the opening leg with a two-goal cushion. Because the fixture is explicitly identified as a first leg, that advantage should not be presented as a completed qualification. Atlético’s much larger volume of attempts did not reduce the deficit they must address in the remaining part of the tie.
Archival cover photograph: Arena do Grêmio in Porto Alegre in 2014; archival photograph, not an image of the current event. Photographer/creator: Contato: clickdearaujo@gmail.com. Image source and metadata; CC BY 2.0. The Wikimedia-supplied file is used without raster edits. Image date as recorded by the source: 30 November 2014, 11:34:40.
