【】

When thousands of Brazilians packed a church and a soccer stadium in the city of Chapeco this Tuesday, they mourned what would have been a tragedy under any circumstances: A plane carrying the pride of Chapeco, the soccer club Chapecoense, crashed Monday, killing 19 players.
But the horror and sadness that continue to reverberate through the soccer world are amplified by their context. The plane was carrying Chapecoense to the biggest match in its 43-year history. The crash instead becomes a nightmare ending to what had been the club's dreamy rise through the ranks of soccer in Brazil, a Cinderella story in a country where the sport enjoys a religious following.
SEE ALSO:The 'tragic' rise and fall, and rise and fall, of Todd Marinovich takes its latest turnThat's not a melodramatic touch, comparing the team's story to something from a dream. No -- it comes straight from the mouth of Plínio de Nes Filho, a Chapecoense club executive.
"They said they were going in search of a dream, to turn this dream into a reality for us," he told Brazilian media after the crash.
The Chapecoense dream unfolded like this: As recently as 2009, it toiled in Série D, Brazil's fourth division. Then it worked its way up to Série C, the third division. Then Série B, the second division. By 2014, it reached Série A, the pinnacle of club soccer in Brazil.
But the club's meteoric rise didn't stop there -- not by a longshot.


It performed well enough in Série A to qualify for this year's Copa Sudamericana, a continental competition for elite club teams across South America. The Copa Sudamericana is akin to UEFA's Europa League, which sits one level below the Champions League, a big-money competition reserved for Europe's most elite clubs.
The South American equivalent of the Champions League is the Copa Libertadores. The plane that crashed Monday was carrying Chapecoense to the two-match Copa Sudamericana championship against Colombia's Atletico Nacional.
If Chapecoense won that, it would have qualified for the Copa Libertadores -- completing a stunning journey from the dregs of Brazil's national leagues to the very, very pinnacle of club soccer in South America.
'I don't know what my life will be after this'

That's the dream that was so, sopainfully close to becoming a reality. Instead, it ended in a nightmare that played out violently when the chartered flight carrying the team crashed into a hillside near Medellín.
That's the contrast of glory and tragedy that broke fans' hearts, rocked the soccer world well beyond Brazil's borders and drew thousands of mourners in Chapeco on Tuesday.
"I was preparing for the best day of my life, and now I don't know what my life will be after this," a fan named Alan Heinz said at Chapecoense's home stadium, where people gathered to mark the loss.
En route to the finals, Chapecoense players posted giddy, anticipatory selfies on social media. Now touching tributes continue to pour in, both online and off.

Chapecoense goalkeeper Nivaldo, who wasn't on the plane to Colombia, abruptly announced his retirement. Matches across the world have been preceded my moments of silence in remembrance of the crash's victims. Monuments and landmarks worldwide have been illuminated in Chapecoense green. More examples abound.
And so the Chapecoense fairytale ends. Or does it?
"The dream is not over," acting club president Gelson Della Costa told the Associated Press. "We will fight back when it's time."
But for now, they grieve -- and the entire soccer world grieves along with them.

相关文章
J.K. Rowling makes 'Harry Potter' joke about Olympics event
LONDON -- For anyone who isn't familiar with the Olympics omnium events in the velodrome, the points2025-04-24- 如果說女性的婦科疾病非常惱人的話 ,那麽對於男性來說,也是有些難以啟齒的疾病——泌尿係統疾病 。很多的男性因為細菌感染等原因,會出現尿不出來的情況 。其實這種情況 ,就有可能是患有了泌尿係統疾病 。那麽具體是什2025-04-24
- 在現代社會女性的生活壓力越來越大 ,所以女性的健康問題已經成為了許多女性關注的一個問題 。而女性身體的很多疾病都和身體壓力有密切關係,例如乳腺結節。而乳腺結節這種疾病也需要及時治療,否則有可能具有癌變的可2025-04-24
- 毋庸置疑的是三七粉的確是一種對人體大有裨益的藥粉。同時三七還有另外一個名字叫做“金不換”,這也從側麵反映出三七在中醫學上的重要價值 。其實女性朋友們多吃三七粉的話,對身體非常有好處 ,因為三七粉能夠起著活2025-04-24
MashReads Podcast: What makes a good summer read?
Summer is coming to a close and that means one thing -- last-minute vacations! 。SEE ALSO:'Ice Cream B2025-04-24- 當自己購買的起泡酒已經過期五年以後就不要再去飲用 ,其實無論是什麽樣的酒水在過期以後都不要再去喝,這已經表示酒水裏麵的成分有了變質的情況,而且起泡酒在過期後就不會再有汽水的口感,這也是會讓喝起來味道有些2025-04-24
最新评论