RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- In a heavily disputed match, host Palmeiras and a visiting Gremio played out to a scoreless draw in the 14th round of the 2011 Brazilian Championship on Saturday.
Before the match began, Celso Roth agreed to return to Gremio for his fourth tour as the head coach of the team from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.
With tough shots from Valdivia, Kleber, Maicon Leite and Gerley, Gremio keeper Victor protected the nets perfectly. Likewise for Palmeiras, goalie Marcos was implacable. The athlete celebrated his fifteenth year as a professional goaltender by dressing in all-white.
The draw stains Palmeiras' home performance in the Brazilian Championship. Before entering Saturday' s match, the team had won its previous eight matches at home. Despite the draw against Gremio, Palmeiras remains undefeated at the Caninde stadium.
The draw keeps Palmeiras in fifth place with 27 points. Gremio remains in fifteenth place with 15 points. Both teams are subject to a readjustment in their standings after the completion of the round on Sunday.
In the 15th round of play, Celso Roth will command Gremio into its home match against Fluminense on August 14. On the same day Palmeiras will travel to face Vasco da Gama.