Grenal
"Grenal" is the nickname for matches between two of Brazil's leading football clubs, both located in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul: Gre refers to Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense and Nal refers to Sport Club Internacional.
| Locale | Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul |
|---|---|
| Teams | Grêmio Internacional |
| First meeting | Grêmio 10–0 Internacional (18 July 1909) |
| Latest meeting | Grêmio 2–0 Internacional (03 November 2019) |
| Next meeting | 15 February 2020 |
| Stadiums | Arena do Grêmio (Grêmio) Estádio Beira-Rio (Internacional) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 416 |
| Most wins | Internacional: 156 |
| All-time record | Internacional: 156 Draw: 132 Grêmio: 131 |
History
The grenal is one of the fiercest football rivalries in South America. It is accompanied by high levels of emotion, competition and occasional violence. Many well-known players have competed in grenal games, including: Everaldo, Tesourinha, Aírton, Falcão, Éder, Valdomiro, Renato Gaúcho, Taffarel, Dunga, Emerson, Ronaldinho, Elías Figueroa, D’Alessandro, Nilmar, Oscar, Alexandre Pato, Alisson Becker, and Diego Forlán.
The game has also seen world-famous coaches such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Abel Braga, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Telê Santana, Rubens Minelli, Valdir Espinosa, Paulo César Carpegiani and Ênio Andrade manage a game.
First Grenal derby
On June 21, 1909, four representatives of Internacional met with representatives of Grêmio in the Company's headquarters, Leopoldina Portoalegrense, to arrange the first meeting between the two clubs. Internacional, founded two months before, invited Grêmio to be its first opponents. The first match was held on June 27. With a game of Fuss-Ball previously arranged, Grêmio'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. Grêmio'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 Grêmio 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 Grêmio 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 João 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 Júlio Grünewald and one by Moreira. The match ended at 10-0 to Grêmio, the biggest win in the history of Grenal.
Grenal of the Century
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 its unprecedented importance: it was the second leg of the semi-finals of 1988 Brazilian Championship, soon after the first leg, played at Olímpico 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 °C (104 °F).
Grêmio started the match playing better and, at the end of the first half, was winning the match by 1–0 with 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 Cézar Coelho, Grêmio's victory seemed very close.
Inter got better at the second half. At 61 minutes a free kick favored Inter. Midfielder Edu Lima crossed the ball and Nílson, 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 Maurício passed through two defenders and shot. The ball was going the miss the goal when Nílson appeared behind the back of Grêmio's defense, to score again.
Internacional won the "Grenal of the Century" and qualified to the final match against Esporte Clube Bahia.
State rivalry
The rivalry of the Grenal reaches beyond football; it is a cultural reference for the Gaúchos. Many residents of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and in much of Santa Catarina and the western region of Paraná, identify strongly with one of the two sides, according to entrenched familial, cultural and social-demographic factors .
Grêmio 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 mostly 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 accepted black players only in the early 1930s. While from since the 1950s, several black players such as Ronaldinho and Everaldo have played for Grêmio.
Statistics
| Number of games | 424 |
| Grêmio Wins | 133 |
| Inter Wins | 156 |
| Draws | 135 |
| Total goals | 1137 |
| Scored for Grêmio | 552 |
| Scored for Inter | 585 |
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Grêmio have 1 Intercontinental Cup, 3 Copa Libertadores and 2 Recopa Sudamericana. Domestically, they have won 2 Brazilian championships, 5 Brazilian cups, and 37 state championships.
Internacional have 1 FIFA Club World Cup, 2 Copa Libertadores, 2 Recopa Sudamericana, 1 Copa Suruga Bank and 1 Copa Sudamericana. Domestically, they have won 3 Brazilian championships, 1 Brazilian cup, and 45 state championships.
Inter's Under-20 team is also remarkably successful: They were the Nike Cup (Under-15 World Championship) champions in 2000, Five-times Brazilian Under-20 champions at São Paulo Cup, in 1974, 1978, 1980, 1998 and 2020 and champion of the first Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian Championship) Sub-20 in 2006.
Records
The biggest win for Grêmio was 10-0 in 1909 (the very first Grenal) and the biggest win for Inter was 7–0 in 1948.
Highest attendance in Beira-Rio Stadium (Internacional): Internacional 1–1 Grêmio, 85,075, May 30, 1971.
In Olímpico Stadium (Grêmio): Grêmio 1–1 Internacional, 72,893, November 29, 1981.