The Battle of the Afflicted
On November 26, 2005, Náutico was very close to returning to the Brazilian top division. Playing against Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense at home, in Recife, they needed a win to secure a spot in the Brazilian first division. Having already missed a penalty shot in the first half, the team were awarded another penalty kick in the second half, following a personal foul that resulted in the sending off of 4 players on Grêmio's side. That penalty kick was also missed. Náutico then had a player sent off. Despite being outnumbered 7 to 10 players, Anderson scored to Grêmio and secured a spot in the 2006 First Division league. This game came to be known as "A batalha dos aflitos" (The Battle of the Afflicted), a literal play on the stadiums name. Two DVDs and a book were released about this game.