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Grenal

Grenal
Grenal in 2012 at the EstĂĄdio OlĂ­mpico Monumental
Other namesGre-Nal
LocationPorto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
TeamsGrĂȘmio
Internacional
First meetingGrĂȘmio 10–0 Internacional
Friendly match
18 July 1909
Latest meetingInternacional 1–0 GrĂȘmio
2024 Campeonato Brasileiro SĂ©rie A
19 October 2024
StadiumsArena do GrĂȘmio (GrĂȘmio)
Beira-Rio (Internacional)
Statistics
Meetings total443
Top scorerCarlitos (40)
All-time recordInternacional: 164
GrĂȘmio: 141
Draw: 138
GrĂȘmio
Internacional

Grenal is the name of the football derby between two of Brazil's biggest clubs, both located in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul: Gre refers to GrĂȘmio and Nal refers to Internacional.

The Grenal is one of the fiercest football rivalries in Brazil, South America and the world. It is accompanied by high levels of emotion, competition and occasional violence. The fixture is considered a cultural mark of the South Region of Brazil and in particular the Rio Grande do Sul, as it divides the state in half and has been ongoing since 1909.[1] The Grenal is considered the main match of the GauchĂŁo (the Rio Grande do Sul state championship), with both teams winning the competition regularly since 1940, and it is also a regular fixture in the BrasileirĂŁo (the Brazilian championship).

In December 2020, FourFourTwo ranked Grenal as the world's 8th biggest derby.[2]

History

The grenal is one of the fiercest football rivalries in South America. Many well-known players have competed in grenal games, including: Everaldo, Tesourinha, AĂ­rton, FalcĂŁo, Éder, Valdomiro, Renato GaĂșcho, Taffarel, Dunga, Emerson, Carlos Gamarra, Ronaldinho, ElĂ­as Figueroa, D’Alessandro, Lucas Leiva, Marcelo Moreno, Nilmar, Pedro Geromel, Oscar, Walter Kannemann, Alexandre Pato, Alisson Becker, Arthur Melo, Everton Soares, Douglas Costa, Taison, FĂĄbio Bilica, Diego ForlĂĄn, Diego Costa and Luis SuĂĄrez.

The derby has also seen world-famous coaches such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Abel Braga, Renato GaĂșcho, Carlos Alberto Parreira, TelĂȘ Santana, Rubens Minelli, Valdir Espinosa, Paulo CĂ©sar Carpegiani and Ênio Andrade manage a game.

The first Grenal

Matchday programme of the first Grenal in 1909

On June 21, 1909, four representatives of Internacional met with representatives of GrĂȘmio in the company's headquarters, Leopoldina Portoalegrense, to arrange the first meeting between the two clubs. Internacional, founded two months before, invited GrĂȘmio to be its first opponents. The first match was held on June 27. With a game of Fuss-Ball [sic] previously arranged, GrĂȘmio's president, Major Augusto Koch said that his team would face Internacional with the second table (reserve team). The leaders of Internacional demanded that their opponents played with their first team. GrĂȘmio's board agreed. However, as the club's fixture list was full, the game would be held only in the following month.

The first Grenal derby occurred on July 18, 1909, on a Sunday, at the Baixada Stadium in Porto Alegre (which belonged to GrĂȘmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense). At 15:10, both teams entered the field of Baixada, preceded by the Presidents and the military band of the Brigade. The GrĂȘmio players wore Sorority shirts divided vertically in half blue and half white, with black shorts. Internacional wore vertically striped shirts in red and white, with white shorts. The audience was estimated to be at 2000.

The referee of the match was Waldemar Bromberg, the assistants were JoĂŁo de Castro e Silva and H. Sommer, and goal judges Theobaldo Foernges Bugs and Theodoro. The goal judges sat on a stool beside the goal areas, indicating whether the ball entered the goal or not, because at the time there were no nets in the goals.

After 10 minutes, Edgar Booth scored the first goal of the game and in the history of the derby. Edgar Booth went on to score four more goals. Four goals were scored by JĂșlio GrĂŒnewald and one by Moreira. The match ended at 10–0 to GrĂȘmio, the biggest win in the history of Grenal.

Grenal of the Century

Grenal in 1940 for the Porto Alegre City Championship

This match took place at Beira-Rio Stadium on February 12, 1989, being the 297th confrontation between these rival clubs, and it is called "Grenal of the Century" due to its unprecedented importance: it was the second leg of the semi-finals of 1988 Brazilian Championship, soon after the first leg, played at OlĂ­mpico Stadium, had ended with no goals.

Both teams came from great campaigns in the league. Internacional had a slight advantage, for if the match ended in a draw, Inter would qualify for the finals and 1989 Copa Libertadores. Teasers and agitation ruled in Porto Alegre.

The attendance was 78,083, in spite of the scorching heat of the summer afternoon: the thermometers marked 40 Â°C (104 Â°F).

GrĂȘmio started the match playing better and, at the end of the first half, was winning the match by 1–0 with a goal scored by Marcus Vinicius at 25 minutes. With the red card showed to Inter's right back Casemiro at 38 minutes by referee Arnaldo CĂ©zar Coelho, GrĂȘmio's victory seemed very close.

Inter got better in the second half. At 61 minutes, a free kick favored Inter. Midfielder Edu Lima crossed the ball and NĂ­lson, top scorer of the league, scored to make the match even.

It was Inter who kept pressing, and minutes after, in a counter-attack from the right side, midfielder MaurĂ­cio passed through two defenders and shot. The ball was going to miss the goal when NĂ­lson appeared behind the back of GrĂȘmio's defense, to score again.

Internacional won the "Grenal of the Century" and qualified to the final match against Esporte Clube Bahia.

Other matches

On Saturday, February 26, 2022, Grenal 435 was cancelled and postponed for the first time in its history after fans of Internacional attacked GrĂȘmio's bus with an iron bars and rocks, which left athlete MathĂ­as Villasanti with a head trauma and concussion.[3][4]

State rivalry

Grenal in 2007

The rivalry of the Grenal reaches beyond football; it is a cultural reference for the GaĂșchos. Football fans residing in Porto Alegre and rest the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as in much of Santa Catarina, Western ParanĂĄ and Northern Uruguay, identify strongly with either club, according to entrenched familial, cultural and social-demographic factors.[5] [6] [7] [8]

GrĂȘmio was founded in 1903 by German immigrants from the Porto Alegre's industrious and commercial upper middle-class, mainly from the northern neighbourhoods from the city, who initially banned poor non-German players. Inter was founded by the children of Italian immigrants, in a meeting at the Second District, a bohemian, commercial and college neighborhood, so most of the first Inter players and supporters came from this reality: students from inner Rio Grande do Sul, Italian and Azorean immigrants that lived on the place. Inter has accepted black players since the early 1930s, while GrĂȘmio only accepted black players such as Ronaldinho and Everaldo since the 1950s.

Statistics

Head to head results

Matches Wins Draws
GRE INT
Campeonato GaĂșcho 177 55 59 63
Campeonato Citadino 101 39 44 18
Copa Sul 2 0 1 1
Campeonato Sul-Brasileiro 2 1 0 1
Copa Sul-Minas 1 0 0 1
Primeira Liga 1 0 0 1
Campeonato Brasileiro SĂ©rie A 72 24 26 22
Copa do Brasil 2 0 0 2
Seletiva Nacional da Libertadores 2 0 0 2
Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2 1 0 1
Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana 4 1 1 2
Other tournaments and friendly games 77 20 33 24
All matches 443 141 164 138

Record by decade

Decade[9] Matches GrĂȘmio
wins
Inter
wins
Draws
1901–1909 1 1 0 0
1910–1919 12 7 5 0
1920–1929 18 11 4 3
1930–1939 30 14 10 6
1940–1949 49 7 32 10
1950–1959 40 11 16 13
1960–1969 42 16 13 13
1970–1979 59 12 24 23
1980–1989 50 16 13 21
1990–1999 43 14 12 17
2000–2009 34 10 13 11
2010–2019 44 13 14 17
2020–2029 20 9 8 4
Total 443 141 164 138

Head-to-head ranking in the Campeonato Brasileiro (2003–present)

P. 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7
8 8 8
9 9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12 12
13 13
14 14
15
16
17 17 17
18
19
20 20
21
22
23
24 24
SĂ©rie B
1 1
2 2 2

‱ Total: Internacional 12 times higher, GrĂȘmio 10 times higher.

Doing the double in the Campeonato Brasileiro (2003–present)

Season Team Home result Away result
2004 Internacional 2–0 1–3
2007 GrĂȘmio 1–0 0–2
2024 Internacional 1–0 0–1

Records

Largest wins

Winning margin Result[10] Date Competition
10 GrĂȘmio 10–0 Internacional 18 July 1909 Friendly match
9 Internacional 1–10 GrĂȘmio 18 June 1911 Campeonato Citadino
7 GrĂȘmio 0–7 Internacional 17 October 1948 Campeonato Citadino
6 GrĂȘmio 6–0 Internacional 23 June 1912 Campeonato Citadino
GrĂȘmio 0–6 Internacional 1 November 1938 Taça Martel
5 GrĂȘmio 5–0 Internacional 17 July 1910 Campeonato Citadino
Internacional 6–1 GrĂȘmio 30 July 1916 Campeonato Citadino
GrĂȘmio 1–6 Internacional 4 January 1940 Campeonato Citadino
GrĂȘmio 5–0 Internacional 9 August 2015 Campeonato Brasileiro

Longest unbeaten runs

Games[11] Club Period Results
17 Internacional 17 October 1971 – 13 July 1975 10 wins and 7 draws
16 Internacional 1 May 1947 – 7 September 1949 11 wins and 5 draws
13 GrĂȘmio 16 June 1999 – 26 October 2002 8 wins and 5 draws
12 Internacional 11 January 1942 – 28 May 1944 9 wins and 3 draws
GrĂȘmio 31 May 1987 – 9 February 1989 6 wins and 6 draws
11 Internacional 17 August 1952 – 9 January 1955 7 wins and 4 draws
GrĂȘmio 17 March 2019 – 3 October 2020 6 wins and 5 draws

Most consecutive wins

Games[11] Club Period
6 GrĂȘmio 18 July 1909 – 8 June 1913
GrĂȘmio 14 September 1919 – 27 April 1924
GrĂȘmio 28 July 1931 – 13 August 1933
GrĂȘmio 14 August 1977 – 20 August 1978
5 Internacional 11 July 1943 – 28 May 1944
Internacional 1 May 1947 – 26 October 1947
Internacional 1 November 1953 – 26 September 1954
Internacional 24 March 1974 – 13 July 1975

All-time top scorers

Goals Player Club
40 Carlitos Internacional
21 Villalba Internacional
18 Luiz Carvalho GrĂȘmio
16 AdĂŁozinho Internacional
Tesourinha Internacional
12 Alcindo GrĂȘmio
11 AcĂĄcio Internacional
Bodinho Internacional
Foguinho GrĂȘmio

Highest attendances

Honours

Competitions GrĂȘmio Internacional
Brazilian Championship
2
3
Brazil Cup
5
1
Brazil Supercup
1
-
Copa Libertadores
3
2
Copa Sudamericana
-
1
Recopa Sudamericana
2
2
Suruga Bank Championship
-
1
FIFA Club World Cup/Intercontinental Cup
1
1
Total
14
11
Other Competitions GrĂȘmio Internacional
GaĂșcho Championship
43
45
FGF Cup
1
2
Recopa GaĂșcha
4
2
Copa Sul/Campeonato Sul Brasileiro
2
-
Torneio Heleno Nunes
-
1
Total General
64
61

Note (1): Although the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup are officially different competitions, in Brazil they are often treated as the same tournament.

Note (2): Torneio Heleno Nunes is not considered a title, as the criterion for participation in it was the elimination of clubs in the Brazilian Championship, that is, it "rewarded failure" of participants in another competition.

References

  1. ^ Lane, Barnaby. "Stabbings, mass brawls, and a mid-match death: Inside 'Grenal' — Brazilian soccer's fiercest derby match". Insider. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  2. ^ December 2020, Greg Lea 12. "Ranked! The 50 biggest derbies in world football". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Gremio bus attacked & windows smashed by rival Internacional fans as Mathias Villasanti needs hospital treatment | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  4. ^ "Gre-Nal is postponed after GrĂȘmio's bus is hit by stones and player is injured | Rio Grande do Sul - The Goa Spotlight". February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Map of largest football fanbases in Brazil". ge.globo.com. September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Largest football fan bases of Santa Catarina". historiadofutebol.com. August 30, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  7. ^ "Familial tradition: father of twins encourage his sons' love for GrĂȘmio". ge.globo.com. October 23, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Internacional, the People's Club". elperiodico.com. December 16, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "NĂșmeros dos Grenais por DĂ©cada". GRENAL É GRENAL. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Conheça as maiores goleadas da dupla GreNal na história do clåssico". Sambafoot.com. March 2, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Todos Gre-Nais da HistĂłria". Sport Club Internacional. Retrieved October 6, 2024.