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Deportivo Táchira won the Venezuelan soccer championship for the eleventh time this Sunday, beating Carabobo FC 4-2 in a shootout from the penalty spot, after a 0-0 draw in the second leg of the final.
Maurice Cova, the Colombian Felipe Pardo, Carlos Vivas and Pablo Camacho converted for Táchira in the definition from the twelve steps at the Misael Delgado stadium in the city of Valencia, home of Carabobo. Carlos Sosa missed his shot, blocked by Argentine goalkeeper Lucas Bruera.
Gustavo González and Erickson Gallardo successfully kicked for the garnets, but Richard Blanco and Marcel Guaramato sent their shots to the posts.
A week ago, in San Cristóbal, the first leg match had ended 1-1.
Táchira had had clear scoring chances in the 90 minutes of regulation, without being able to move the scoreboard. Daniel Saggiomo, in the 21st minute, shot wide with everything in his favor from the edge of the area and attempts by Bryan Castillo, in the 55th, and Sosa, in the 80th from a free kick, were neutralized by Bruera.
“I felt the obligation to achieve the objective after the work of an entire season. We deserved it,” celebrated Camacho, author of the final kick in the penalty shootout, in statements to the league’s TV broadcast.
Thus, Táchira revalidated last season’s absolute championship after overcoming the exit due to differences with the board of the coach who had led that victory, Eduardo Saragó. Edgar Pérez Greco, who was a figure of the club in his time as a footballer and Saragó’s technical assistant until the breakup, took over to embroider the eleventh star on the institution’s emblem.
Carabobo reached this final after dominating the Apertura Tournament and Táchira did so after taking the Clausura Tournament title.
With its eleven championships, Deportivo Táchira is only surpassed in the history of Venezuelan football by Caracas FC, with twelve.
Táchira, Carabobo, UCV and Monagas got places for next year’s Copa Libertadores. Metropolitanos, Deportivo La Guaira, Academia Puerto Cabello and Caracas were left with places for the Copa Sudamericana.
erc/gfe
2024-12-09 00:01:00