Atlético Zulia
Atlético Zulia was a Venezuelan football club from Maracaibo , which existed only between 1996 and 1998, but won the Apertura of the Venezuelan league twice and the championship of the 1997/98 season during this period .
history
The club was created with the acquisition of the license from Unicol FC from Lagunillas before the start of the 1996/97 season. At the end of their first half season, the team finished first in the final table of Apertura 1996 (first half of the 1996/97 season) tied with AC Minervén FC , so that two play-offs were required to win the Apertura, in which both teams played their home game each won 1-0. The subsequent penalty shootout decided Zulia 4-2 in his favor. The overall season finale against the winner of the Clausura 1997, held at the end of the 1996/97 season, was clearly lost against FC Caracas with 1: 3 and 0: 5 .
Winning the Apertura in 1996 entitled to participate in the Copa Libertadores 1998 , in which the two Venezuelan representatives (Zulia and Caracas) had to compete in a qualifying group with the Mexican representatives América and Chivas , who were invited for the first time . While FC Caracas was able to score five points in their favor, but were eliminated anyway, Zulia lost all four games (2: 3 and 1: 4 against Chivas and 0: 2 and 1: 4 against America).
Also in their second season 1997/98 Zulia won the championship of the Apertura 1997 and this time was able to prevail in the overall season finale (1-0 and 4-0) against the Estudiantes de Mérida . The participation in the Copa Libertadores 1999 achieved through this success was already perceived by the legal successor Universidad de Los Andes FC , to which the license for the 1998/99 season had been sold.
successes
- Venezuelan champion: 1997/98
- Venezuelan runner-up: 1996/97
Individual evidence
- ^ The Venezuelan League 1996/97 at RSSSF
- ^ The Venezuelan League 1997/98 at RSSSF
- ^ The Venezuelan season 1998/99 at RSSSF