A sad day today as Gremio was knocked out of the Libertadores last night by Cruzeiro. But I applaud the effort. With their lack of resources, I am continually amazed at how far raça will take a team. So to celebrate this, a quick look back at some better times…
Batalha dos Aflitos – The Most Incredible Game of All Times
For those of you not familiar with this game known as the Batalha dos Aflitos (Battle of the Afflicted – “Aflitos” or “Afflicted” being the nickname of Nautico’s stadium since it is in the Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos neighborhood of Recife) here is a little background. With a victory over Nautico, Gremio would win the Second Division and return to the Serie A, with a loss Gremio would face another year in the Brazilian Second Division. After a missed penalty in the first half by Nautico, and a tense beginning to the second half, all hell broke loose when the referee called yet another penalty against Gremio. Four (4) players were red carded for Gremio, none for Nautico. So as this video picks up, Gremio has 7 players on the field. To win the championship they must first defend the penalty and then somehow manage to score with a four man disadvantage (7×11). O Imortal Tricolor. (This video goes best with the volume turned up.)
