RIO DE JANEIRO, May 8 -- At home against archrival Internacional, Gremio won Sunday's first leg of the Rio Grande do Sul state championship finals 3-2. Gremio's head coach Renato Gaucho dedicated the victory to his recently deceased mother and openly wept.
Internacional scored the game's first goal in the 8th minute. Driving down the field, D' Alessandro crossed the ball towards the front of the Gremio net. Rafael Sobis was unable to reach the ball, allowing it to roll to Andrezinho who maneuvered around keeper Marcelo Grohe and fired the ball into the back of the goal.
Gremio tied the match in the 39th minute when Junior Vicosa capitalized on a poorly positioned keeper Renan, heading in a crossed ball. The athlete would score again in the opening seconds of the second half. On the receiving end of a give-and-go with Leandro, Vicosa angled in a tough shot that sailed past a helpless Renan, giving Gremio the come-from-behind win.
Internacional's newly signed head coach Falcao came under heavy criticism for the lack of offensive production from Internacional in the second half. The team will look to turn the tides against Gremio on May 15 in the decisive and final match of the 2011 Rio Grande do Sul state championship.