Flores clinches 30th title for Colo Colo
Ecstatic Colo Colo put years of misery behind them by finally claiming their 30th league title with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Santiago Wanderers.
Macul – Striker Felipe Flores had been one of the players most heavily criticised in the club’s bad times, so it was perhaps fitting that he should be the player to score the goal that clinched the Clausura title.
Wanderers keeper Gabriel Castellón had already made some excellent saves to increase the tension at a packed Monumental, but the crucial breakthrough came a minute before the break.
From a move that went the length of the pitch, Juan Delgado´s shot was parried by the keeper and Flores reacted first to rifle home a low left-foot shot and spark jubilant scenes.
Colo Colo attempted to kill the game off in the second half, but couldn´t find the second goal and they were relieved when ex-striker Nicolás Canales´ superb shot crashed back off the crossbar.
In the end, the Flores goal proved enough for Colo Colo to win their first title since 2009.
The much-maligned Flores, who has struck some vital goals in recent times to win over the fans, said: “When the things cost you a lot, you enjoy them more and I have to thank everyone that supported me in the bad times.
“I´m happy, I scored important goals and the team left behind long years of wait.”
Opponents Wanderers came into the game knowing that their home city of Valparaíso was being devastated by fire and Flores took time out to send a message to the Colo Colo fans in the city.
He added: “We hope that this title gives a smile to the Colo Colinos of the port.”
Meanwhile, rookie coach Héctor Tapia, who has overseen the Colo Colo revival in his first year in charge, said: “I´m very excited because it was a very difficult championship and we had to fight a lot.
“I take my hat off to the players because they´ve worked really hard and shown their class.”
Colo Colo have bagged 12 wins, two draws and one defeat from their 15 games, earning 38 points in the process. It´s given them an uncatchable seven-point lead with two games left over second-placed Universidad Católica.
The sides meet at the Monumental next Sunday, but only pride will be at stake. Católica beat Antofagasta 2-0 on Saturday with well-taken goals from José Luis Muñoz and Álvaro Ramos.
Third-placed O´Higgins were held to a 0-0 draw by Unión La Calera, one of a handful of teams in the relegation battle.
Fourth-placed Palestino clinched a place in the end of season liguilla with a solid 2-0 win at Ñublense, while fifth-placed Iquique slumped to a 1-0 ´home´ defeat against relegation-haunted Rangers at La Pintana.
Unión Española returned to winning ways thanks to two Gustavo Canales penalties in their 2-1 victory against Universidad de Concepción.
Huachipato gave their survival chances a massive boost with an astonishing 5-2 win against ailing Universidad de Chile. La U led 2-0 at the break, but the acereros stormed back in the second half to earn three precious points. Ex-Palestino striker Lucas Simón scored twice.
Everton were another one of the teams at the bottom of the table to earn crucial points – they beat Cobreloa 2-0 at home.
However, Audax Italiano´s plight worsened after they crumbled to a terrible 3-1 home defeat against Cobresal.
In the accumulated table, Rangers (30pts) and Audax (32pts) currently fill the two automatic relegation spots. They meet next Saturday in a game which will be make-or-break.
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