At the Arena, in Porto Alegre, Grêmio beat Internacional 3-1 and advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Copa do Brasil.
The derby, so lukewarm in the first leg (0-0 at Beira-Rio), delivered much more in the decisive quarterfinal clash.
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And the Tricolor Gaúcho put on a “textbook” first half and all but sealed qualification.
Before the 15-minute mark, Carlos Vinícius showed his “striker’s instinct” by popping up at the far post, pouncing on a loose ball after a scramble in the box, and opening the scoring for Grêmio.
Driven by the rhythm of the tricolor fans, who made their presence felt in the stands from the very first minute, the center-forward received the ball from Amuzu on the left wing, burst forward, and doubled the lead.
After the break, Grêmio controlled the match well, had very few problems at the back, and still grabbed a third, with Krovinovic making the most of another assist from Amuzu.
Inter had no choice but to throw themselves forward in desperation, but they ran into an inspired performance from goalkeeper Weverton.
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Colorado did pull one back through Vitinho, who headed home unmarked in the box after an assist from Alan Patrick.
🚦 How it stands
After eliminating their biggest rival, Grêmio advanced to face Atlético-MG in the Copa do Brasil semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Palmeiras and Vasco are still alive in the race for the national title.
Internacional are now left only with the fight to survive in the Brasileirão, where they sit third from bottom with just 25 points.
Colorado return to action next Sunday (6), when they host Santos at Beira-Rio in Round 26 of the Brazilian Championship.
Meanwhile, Tricolor Imortal (15th place with 28 points) face Vitória at Barradão on Monday (7) in the final match of the round.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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