Grêmio: The Immortal is to die

By: Bruno Romani | June 13th, 2007

Every romance ends in tragedy. And this is the story of the Inmortal Tricolor, the club relegated in 2004 in the Campeonato Brasileiro. The second division brought flaming love to the hearts of the fans of the club that wears blue, black and white. The final game against Naútico saw one of the most memorable moments in football. Never again, a club with just 7 players on the pitch will deny 2 penalties and still win by 1-0. This is Grêmio, always against the odds.Then 2006 became the year of rescuing the spirits of the real champions, and a third place in the league brought back the club to the Copa Libertadores. Never the name immortal made so much sense.

Short on individual talents, the club eliminated with blood and heart 2 favorites and traditional clubs, São Paulo and Santos, after a mediocre group stage. The blood, however, was blue. Perhaps a sign of nobility, but above of all a fuel for epic battles and burning love.

Grêmio traveled to Argentina to play tonight the last act of this inspiring journey. The only problem is that the immortal tricolor believes too much in itself, and in what it can do at home. The club has gradually been accumulating losses in the knock-out stage of the Copa Libertadores. 1-0 against a fading São Paulo, 2-0 against a mediocre Defensor, 3-1 against a dangerous Santos. Tonight, Grêmio lost control and saw Boca Juniors impose a 3-0 loss. It is an announced tragedy for next week.

It will not matter that the club was playing a good match until the moment Palermo received a ball offside and passed it to Palacio score the first. In the second-half, Boca grew and again a Brazilian side became small in the last 45 minutes. The only Brazilian club to ever beat Boca in a Libertadores final was Santos of Pelé, and Grêmio is far from that. The fans watched in suppressed sadness Sandro Goiano to be sent out. They knew what was coming.

Free-kick. Riquelme takes it, and Lucas, Grêmio’s best who has been fighting an injury, moves in the wall. Goal! The heart of the immortal tricolor stopped as the heart-beats were transferred to La Bombonera. The stadium was shaking. Grêmio too.

A 2-0, most thought, still could be reversed in Porto Alegre. It could’ve been 2-1, but Diego Souza missed it. And 3 minutes later became 3-0. The last arrow in the heart of the immortal tricolor. Next week, the fans promise to carry Grêmio to the title. It will be a Lenin’s funeral. The immortal is to die.