Soteldo shines, Fluminense beat Grêmio, stay in Libertadores race | OneFootball

Fluminense achieved a huge victory at Grêmio Arena on Tuesday night, defeating the Gaucho rival 2-1 in a lively match full of chances. With this result, the Tricolor reached 61 points, surpassed Botafogo, and remains strong in the fight for a direct spot in the Libertadores. Now, it depends on a slip by the Carioca rival against Cruzeiro to rely only on themselves in the final round, against Bahia.

Eventful first half

The game started electric. Just 1 minute in, Alysson shot after a deflection and scared Fábio. Fluminense responded quickly: at 4 minutes, Soteldo stole the ball from Grêmio's exit, found Everaldo, who found Lucho Acosta, and the shot was blocked.

At 10 minutes, Freytes made a mistake and handed the ball to the Gaucho attack, but Fábio saved it. The pace remained intense until, at 19 minutes, the first goal of the night came: a perfect cross from Serna and Soteldo completed it into the net, scoring his first goal wearing Fluminense's jersey.

Grêmio reacted at 27 minutes, with a good shot saved by Fábio. At 48 minutes, Everaldo missed a clear chance after a beautiful play between Soteldo and Renê. In the next move, Grêmio managed to equalize, but the goal was disallowed for André Henrique's offside.

A hotly contested first half, with Flu being more efficient.

Soteldo decides again in the second half

The second half repeated the pace. At 4 minutes, another mistake by Freytes gave André Henrique a chance, who shot wide.

But at 7 minutes, Flu responded with composure: Everaldo set up with a backheel for Acosta, who passed to Soteldo to score his second of the match, crowning a stellar performance by the Venezuelan.

The lead didn't last long: two minutes later, André Henrique took advantage of a cross and headed in to reduce the deficit.

The match became open. At 19 minutes, Willian almost equalized with a free-kick. At 20 minutes, Serna missed an incredible chance inside the box. At 23 minutes, Zubeldía made changes: Soteldo and Lucho Acosta, the team's standouts, were replaced by Keno and Ganso.

Grêmio's pressure at the end and Zubeldía's closed defense

Grêmio took control of possession and came close at 32 minutes, hitting the post. Flu retreated, betting on solid defense and transitions.

In the final minutes, Thiago Santos replaced Samuel Xavier to reinforce the marking. The strategy worked: even under pressure, Fluminense held the result until the end.

Standings situation

With the victory, Fluminense reached 61 points and surpassed Botafogo in the standings. Now, the Tricolor hopes that the rival does not win against Cruzeiro at Mineirão; if this happens, the team will only depend on themselves to secure a direct spot in the Libertadores. The last challenge will be against Bahia, in a match that could define the club's fate in the competition.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.