Internacional defeated Coritiba 1-0 on Tuesday at the Beira-Rio stadium during the 34th round of the Brasileirão. The decisive goal was a penalty scored by Alerrandro in stoppage time, a result that secured an important victory for the Colorado side in their fight against relegation.
Coritiba managed to hold strong as visitors and even had a goal disallowed in the first half. However, the match turned in the 48th minute of the second half when Rodrigo Moledo fouled Juninho inside the penalty area with his sole. Following a VAR review, the referee awarded the penalty kick.
Alerrandro, described as a hero recovered by coach Eduardo Baptista, had not scored since May 16, when Internacional beat Vasco at Beira-Rio nearly a full tournament cycle ago. His goal allowed Internacional to temporarily move out of the relegation zone and take the lead over arch-rival Grêmio.
With this victory, Internacional reached 38 points, rising provisionally to 16th place in the standings. They now hold a one-point advantage over Grêmio, who currently occupy the first spot in the bottom four (Z4), and a two-point lead over Corinthians in 18th place. Both Grêmio and Corinthians are scheduled to play away matches on Wednesday against Flamengo and São Paulo, respectively.
Coritiba remains in 11th place with 42 points. While they currently have more breathing room, their position could change if both Grêmio and Corinthians win their upcoming fixtures, which would leave the Paraná team just three points above the relegation zone by the end of the round.
Both teams will now enter the FIFA international break. Coritiba returns to action on November 18 to host Santos, while Internacional visits Vasco at São Januário the following day in a potential direct confrontation for survival.
Sources: CNN Brasil.