Gabriel Mec Strike Earns Grêmio Narrow Win Over 10-Man Coritiba
Grêmio FBPA edged Coritiba FBC 1–0 in a tense Campeonato Brasileiro Série A encounter on matchday 13, decided by a first-half goal from Gabriel Mec and punctuated by a string of cards on both sides.
The match, played on 26 April 2026, shifted dramatically on 30 minutes when Coritiba’s Bruno Melo was sent off. The defender received a straight red card, leaving the visitors to play for over an hour with ten men. By that point, Grêmio’s Carlos Vinícius had already gone into the referee’s book with a yellow card in the 10th minute.
Grêmio capitalised on their numerical advantage shortly before the interval. In the 43rd minute, Gabriel Mec broke the deadlock, finishing a move created by José Enamorado to put the hosts 1–0 up. It was the only goal of the game, and Grêmio took the lead into a fractious half-time interval that saw further cautions for Leonel Perez, Vini Paulista and Breno Lopes around the 45-minute mark.
Both coaches turned to their benches in the second half, with Grêmio introducing Erick Noriega at the restart and later bringing on Tetê, Martin Braithwaite, Juan Ignacio Nardoni and Riquelme. Coritiba responded with a series of changes, including Felipe Jonatan, Willian Oliveira and Joaquín Lavega, in search of an equaliser despite their disadvantage.
The closing stages boiled over. Grêmio’s Viery was cautioned on 48 minutes, and deep into regulation time Luís Castro received a yellow and then a red card in the 90th minute, reducing the hosts to ten men. Coritiba’s Jacy Maranhão was also sent off in the same minute, as tempers flared on both sides.
No further goals followed Mec’s first-half strike, and Grêmio held firm to secure all three points. Detailed statistics beyond goals, bookings and substitutions were not available at the time of writing.
For more on the Brazilian top flight, visit the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A page, or see the full match overview on Ballaxy.
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
SE Palmeiras
|
14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 33 | D W W D W |
| 2 |
CR Flamengo
|
13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 12 | 14 | 27 | D W W W W |
| 3 |
Fluminense FC
|
14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 26 | L W W L D |
| 4 |
São Paulo FC
|
14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 24 | D W L L W |
| 5 |
CA Paranaense
|
14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 23 | D W L W L |
| 6 |
EC Bahia
|
13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 22 | D D L W L |
| 7 |
RB Bragantino
|
14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 20 | W L W L W |
| 8 |
Coritiba FBC
|
14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 17 | -1 | 19 | L L W D D |
| 9 |
EC Vitória
|
13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 18 | W L D W D |
| 10 |
Botafogo FR
|
13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 26 | -1 | 17 | L D W D W |
| 11 |
CA Mineiro
|
14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 20 | -3 | 17 | W L L L W |
| 12 |
SC Internacional
|
14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 17 | W D L D W |
| 13 |
CR Vasco da Gama
|
14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 21 | -1 | 17 | D L W D L |
| 14 |
Grêmio FBPA
|
14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 16 | -1 | 17 | D W L D D |
| 15 |
Cruzeiro EC
|
14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 16 | L W W W L |
| 16 |
Santos FC
|
14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 15 | D D L W L |
| 17 |
SC Corinthians Paulista
|
14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 15 | L W D D L |
| 18 |
Mirassol FC
|
13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 12 | W L W L L |
| 19 |
Clube do Remo
|
14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 24 | -9 | 11 | W L L D D |
| 20 |
Chapecoense AF
|
13 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 26 | -13 | 8 | L L L L D |
