An astonishing rise was tragically stopped in its tracks when disaster struck Chapecoense last November.
Chape surged from the Brazilian fourth tier to the top flight and a first continental final in the space of seven years, but the plane carrying the squad, coaches and directors to Medellin for the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional crashed, killing 71 people. The death toll included 19 players and coach Caio Junior.
A huge rebuild has since occurred with over 20 new arrivals and Vagner Mancini appointed as coach. The swiftly assembled team s first outing came in an emotionally charged friendly against Brazilian champions Palmeiras on Saturday.
A tribute to those who lost their lives was held prior to kick-off, with the loved ones of the deceased invited onto the Arena Conda pitch as part of the commemorations. Along with the three surviving players, Alan Ruschel, Jackson Follmann and Neto, they were presented with the Sudamericana trophy awarded to them by CONMEBOL at the request of the altruistic Atletico Nacional.
Emotional day at Chapecoense as survivors of the plane crash and relatives of the dead presented with Copa Sudamericana trophy.
— Omnisport (@OmnisportNews)
A teary-eyed Follmann told TV Globo: It s a great emotion to be here. This is where we used to play and train, and now there s a beautiful tribute like this. There s no holding back the tears. There s no explanation for this feeling.
It was apt that the first goal of Chape s new era was scored by a player who took his first steps in professional football with the club in Douglas Grolli. The 27-year-old Santa Catarina native has returned on loan from Cruzeiro and sparked touching scenes with his goal in the 2-2 draw.
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