FILE PHOTO - Soccer Football - Copa Sudamericana - Brazil's Chapecoense v Argentina's Defensa y Justicia - Arena Conda stadium, Chapeco, Brazil - July 25, 2017. REUTERS/Diego Vara
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Almost a year since their squad was wiped out in an airplane crash, Brazilian team Chapecoense have achieved what many thought impossible by securing their first division status with a 2-1 win over Vitoria on Thursday.
The result ensured Chapecoense will avoid the drop with three games remaining, having turned down the chance of immunity from relegation after the Nov. 28 crash that killed almost all their players and staff as they flew to Colombia for the final of the Copa Sudamericana.
