The most heartbreaking story in sport of 2016 was the tragedy that hit Brazilian football team Chapecoense when their plane crashed in Colombia, killing all but six of the passengers.
Chapecoense were travelling to a South American cup final in November of last year to take on Medellin based side Atlético Nacional.
The club were on the receiving end of a number of brilliant gestures, from PES and EA Sports commemorating them in their respective games, to clubs donating money and of course Chape being awarded the Copa Sudamericana trophy, with Nacional pushing for their opponents to be given the title.
They’ve had to rebuild their team from scratch because of the disaster, but less than a year on and they have their first bit of silverware.
As reported by The Mirror, the team beat Joinville 2-0 to win the second stage of the Campeonato Catarinense competition.
And they will have the opportunity to go one step further when they take on Avai, the side who finished above them in the initial phase of the tournament, in two-legged final in May.
The Brazilian side drew their first game in the second stage of the competition before winning their next seven and wrapping up the title with a game remaining.
Winning the overall competition would be some achievement for Chape and would mark a wonderful turnaround for everyone associated with the club.
Featured Image Credit: PA
