CARACAS: Zamora won the Venezuelan Championship for the second year running despite losing 2-0 to Mineros in the second leg of a volatile final which saw three players dismissed.
Zamora held on for a 4-3 aggregate win against their nine-man opponents thanks to a hugely controversial 4-1 first leg win a week earlier.
Alejandro Guerra put Mineros in front after 38 minutes of Sunday’s game with a long range shot which bounced in front of Zamora goalkeeper Alexis Angulo and flew into the net.
Zamir Valoyes set up a dramatic finale by converting an 81st minute penalty for Mineros, but they were reduced to 10 men when substitute Jose Manuel Velasquez was sent off for a wild challenge in the 88th minute.
Zamora had Jhon Murillo dismissed for a second bookable offence in stoppage time and Mineros goalkeeper Tito Rojas, standing in for the injured Rafael Romo, was sent off for denying an opponent a clear scoring chance in the 94th minute.
Zamora’s first leg win included a controversial second goal when Juan Falcon scored into an open goal with Romo signaling that he was injured, leading to a mass on-field brawl. “Unfortunately, they were champions thanks to an anti-fair play goal,hich is something negative for our football” Mineros coach Richard Paez told reporters.REUTERS
