CHAPECOENSE fans rushed the pitch after their team secured promotion to the top flight of Brazilian football on Sunday.
The side held out for a narrow 1-0 victory at home over Atletico Goianiense to finish third in the Brazilian Serie B.
The emotional scenes occurred just four days before the ninth anniversary of the tragic plane crash that took the lives of most of the players and coaching staff.
The team were on their way to their first Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional on November 28th 2016 when LaMia flight 2933 crashed on its way to Medellin.
A total of 71 people were killed in the incident, including 19 Chapecoense players, 14 members of coaching staff and nine club officials.
Only six passengers survived the crash, including players Alan Ruschel, Jakson Follman and Neto.
In a heartfelt gesture their would-be opponents stepped back and requested that the Brazilian club be awarded the title in the wake of the crash.
But the tragedy has left the club reeling on the pitch, with the club suffering an understandably inconsistent record since the incident.
They were relegated from the Brazilian Serie A in the 2019 season, but topped Serie B the following year to return to the top flight.
Unfortunately they would be relegated again, before spending the 2022-24 seasons barely surviving in the second division, with consecutive finishes of 15th, 16th, and 15th.
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But this year the team have rebuilt under manager Gilmar Dal Pozzo, and entered the final day with the possibility of promotion remaining very real, if results went their way elsewhere.
Defeats for rivals Goias and Criciuma opened the door for the side, who took the opportunity thanks to a penalty from full-back Walter Clar.
Fans rushed the pitch at full-time, flowing into the middle of the field in an emotional celebration of their unlikely promotion.
Some fans grabbed corner flags, while others hugged and danced around the centre circle.
They are a club who have powered on in the face of adversity every year since their awful loss. You cannot keep Chapecoense down.
