Gremio goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe pulled off one of the finest saves you’ll ever see on Wednesday during his side’s Copa Libertadores semifinal against Ecuador’s Barcelona. Gremio, the traveling side in the first leg, took a 2-0 advantage through Luan and Edilson, but Barcelona had an excellent chance to pull a goal back shortly after halftime and electrify the cauldron of yellow in El Monumental.
But, to the astonishment of nearly 60,000 in the building, Grohe was somehow able to stonewall an attempt from a yard out. A monstrous hand from the 30-year-old Brazilian keeper preserved Gremio’s two-goal advantage, setting the stage for Luan to add the Brazilian club’s third in the 50th minute.
With a three-goal advantage heading back to Porto Alegre for the second leg, Gremio’s place in the 2017 Copa Libertadores Final is all but assured. The other semifinal is an all-Argentine affair with River Plate holding a 1-0 advantage over Lanus after the first leg.
The second legs will take place on October 31 and November 1 with the two-legged final then taking place on November 22 and November 29.
The18 Recommends For You
