Folks associated with Brazilian club Chapecoense haven't had something to smile about in a long time. In November, more than 70 players, training staff members and journalists were killed when the plane taking the team to a Copa Sudamerica match crashed in Colombia.
On Sunday, Chapecoense won their first trophy since the dreadful accident, picking up the Santa Caratina state championship. Although it's just a preseason tournament, the trophy no doubt put smiles on faces that hadn't hosted that particular facial expression in quite some time.
ÉÉÉ CAAAAAAMPEÃOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
A Chapecoense é BiCampeã Catarinense!!!
1977 - 1996 - 2007 - 2011 - 2016 - 2017#VamosChape #Flechamos pic.twitter.com/CWd4AFDuai— Chapecoense (@ChapecoenseReal) May 7, 2017
Sometimes a tiny ray of light can make all the difference. Every trophy Chapecoense wins from now on will be bittersweet, every victory shadowed by the memories of the dead, but I can't think of a better occasion to honor the memories of those passed on. Vamos Chape.
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