The 88th season of the Campeonato Gaúcho kicked off on January 19, 2008. The competition began with 16 clubs divided into two groups. Even before the end of first stage, Guarany and 15 de Novembro were already relegated. Holders Grêmio had an early exit after being defeated by Juventude at homeground. Once again, the two biggest clubs of Rio Grande do Sul would not meet at the final. Internacional set a new record: the highest score in a final match, after beating Juventude 8–1 at Beira-Rio Stadium. That was the 38th title in the history of the club.
| Season | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Internacional (38th title) |
| Relegated | Guarany 15 de Novembro |
| Copa do Brasil | Internacional Juventude Grêmio Caxias (Copa FGF 2007 winners) |
| Série C | Internacional (SM) Caxias Brasil (Copa FGF 2007 runners-up) |
| Goals scored | 376 |
| Average goals/game | 2.98 |
| Top goalscorer | Alex (Internacional) and Mendes (Juventude) (13) |
| Biggest home win | Internacional 8-1 Juventude (Final, 2008 May 04) |
| Biggest away win | Guarany 0–6 Internacional (First Stage, 2008 March 02) |
| Highest scoring | Internacional 8-1 Juventude (Final, 2008 May 04) |
| Highest attendance | 46.472 - Internacional 2-0 Brasil (First Stage, 2008 March 08) |
← 2007 2009 → | |
The tournament qualified both finalists to the Copa do Brasil (Brazil Cup) - Grêmio is also qualified based on CBF ranking criteria. As Internacional will play Série A and Juventude, Série B this season, the semifinal losers, Internacional of Santa Maria and Caxias qualified for the Série C (3rd level of National championship).
Teams
edit| Club | City | Position in 2007 |
Number of titles (until 2007) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internacional | Porto Alegre | 7th | 37 |
| Grêmio | Porto Alegre | Champions | 35 |
| São José | Porto Alegre | 12th | - |
| Caxias | Caxias do Sul | 6th | 1 |
| Juventude | Caxias do Sul | Runners-up | 1 |
| Brasil | Pelotas | 10th | 1 |
| Esportivo | Bento Gonçalves | 5th | - |
| Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz do Sul | 13th | - |
| Veranópolis | Veranópolis | 4th | - |
| São Luiz | Ijuí | 14th | - |
| Novo Hamburgo | Novo Hamburgo | 9th | - |
| 15 de Novembro | Campo Bom | 11th | - |
| Guarany | Bagé | 8th | 2 |
| Ulbra | Canoas | 3rd | - |
| Sapucaiense | Sapucaia do Sul | Champions (2nd Division) |
- |
| Internacional (SM) | Santa Maria | Runners-up (2nd Division) |
- |
System
edit- Group Stage: The 16 teams were divided in 2 groups of 8 teams each. They played against each other inside their groups in home-and-away system. After 14 rounds, the top 4 teams qualified to the Quarterfinals and the bottom team from each group were relegated to play 2nd Division in 2009.
- Quarterfinals: Considering Group Stage positions, the 8 qualified teams were placed in 4 groups of 2 teams each which played in home-and-away system.
- Semifinals: Quarterfinals winners were divided in 2 groups of 2 teams each and they played in home-and-away system. Teams with best overall record played second leg at home
- Finals: Semifinals winners played in home-and-away to define Champions. Team with best overall record played second leg at home.
Group stage
editGroup 1
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grêmio | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 8 | +20 | 36 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Caxias | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 24 | |
| 3 | Sapucaiense | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 20 | +3 | 22 | |
| 4 | Ulbra | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 21 | |
| 5 | Esportivo | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 20 | |
| 6 | Novo Hamburgo | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 17 | |
| 7 | Santa Cruz | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 23 | −7 | 13 | |
| 8 | 15 de Novembro | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 30 | −19 | 4 | Second Division 2009 |
Fixtures
editGroup 2
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internacional | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 9 | +25 | 32 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Internacional (SM) | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 26 | |
| 3 | São José | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 22 | |
| 4 | Juventude | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 20 | |
| 5 | São Luiz | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 20 | |
| 6 | Veranópolis | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 18 | |
| 7 | Brasil | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 26 | −4 | 16 | |
| 8 | Guarany | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 12 | 41 | −29 | 3 | Second Division 2009 |
Fixtures
editQuarterfinals
editFirst Leg: 29 and 30 March
Second Leg: 5 and 6 April
Team 1 plays the second leg at home
| Team 1 | Total | Team 2 | First | Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grêmio | 5-5* | Juventude | 2-1 | 2-3 |
| Internacional | 7-3 | Ulbra | 4-1 | 3-2 |
| Internacional (SM) | 3-2 | Sapucaiense | 1-2 | 2-0 |
| Caxias | 2-1 | São José | 1-1 | 1-0 |
Juventude won on away goals rule.
Semifinals
editFirst Leg: 13 and 15 April
Second Leg: 20 April
Team 1 plays the second leg at home
| Team 1 | Total | Team 2 | First | Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internacional (SM) | 3-4 | Juventude | 1-0 | 2-4 |
| Internacional | 3-1 | Caxias | 1-0 | 2-1 |
Final
editFirst Leg: 27 April
Second Leg: 4 May
Team 1 plays the second leg at home
| Team 1 | Total | Team 2 | First | Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internacional | 8-2 | Juventude | 0-1 | 8-1 |
Goals
editTop Goal scorers
edit| Scorer | Goals | Team |
|---|---|---|
 Mendes
|
13 | Juventude |
| Alex
|
13 | Internacional |
| Ronaldo Capixaba
|
9 | São Luiz |
| Júnior Paulista
|
7 | São José |
| Iarley
|
7 | Internacional |