Bolivia. Three teams were promoted from second level this year:
Ciclon (Tarija),
Wilstermann Cooperativas (Potosi), also known as Club 10 de Noviembre, and
Destroyers (Santa Cruz).
Looks like the top league was going to be bigger the next year, for only 2 teams were relegated. That was decided, as usual, after the first phase of the championship. Primero de Mayo (Potosi) finished last – 14th – with 12 points and rightfully went down. As for the second relegated, the reasons are unclear today:
Guabira (Santa Cruz) was 11th after the end of the first phase with 20 points. Not only three teams were behind them, but Guabira had more points by far: Municpal (La Paz), 12th, had only 15. Some other factors, not performance, relegated Guabira.
The top 8 teams in the first phase qualified to the second phase:
Oriente Petrolero (Santa Cruz) won the first phase with 40 points, followed closely by Bolivar (La Paz) with 39 points and Blooming (Santa Cruz) with 38 points. The rest were distant: Jorge Wilstermann (Cochabamba) – 4th with 34 points, The Strongest (La Paz) – 5th with 32, Petrolero (Cochabamba) – 6th with 29, Chaco Petrolero (La Paz) – 7th with 24, and San Jose (Oruro) – 8th with 23 points. This was all statistics and pride, for the second phase started with clean sheets. The Strongest and Oriente Petrolero topped group A and qualified to the semi-finals. Bolivar and Blooming did the same in group B.
In the semi-finals The Strongest was eliminated by Blooming – 0-2 and 2-2, and Oriente Petrolero lost to Bolivar – 0-4 and 2-1.
So, the title was to be decided between Blooming and Bolivar, but what a thrill this final was. The first leg was played in Santa Cruz and Blooming won in front of its excited fans 4-3 victory. The second match would made them champions. As for Bolivar, which looked like favourite… they won in La Paz 6-3. Wonderful! But good enough only for for adding one more game, for goal-difference did not count and effectively Bolivar only tied the final. As for what decisive at the end… one can only guess, for the third match finished 1-1 and Blooming was crowned as the new champion of Bolivia. Records say nothing more, just the result of the last match – most likely penalty shoot-out followed and Blooming won, or, less likely, a coin was flipped and Fortuna smiled on them.
Bolivar was unlucky, as the results show, but they were successful club used to titles, so no all that big deal.
As for Blooming – that was the moment they waited for so many years.
One may grumble at the final results, the victory was a bit suspect, but Blooming fans had no questions – only pure joy. Their beloved club won its first title. Champions at last. Historic achievement and even it is surprising today, for Blooming is among the fairly familiar Bolivian clubs – never champions before? Well, yes – reputation was cemented this year. One to stay in memory; results most likely obliterated from mind.