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The experienced Andres
Prieto had been Cobreloa's first coach. He got the team into First
Division, but was not able to give supporters the longed title,
by ending 2nd in 1978 and 1979. It was Vicente Cantatore the one
that gave Cobreloa and its fans the chance to celebrate the obtention
of a title after a very tight competition against Universidad
de Chile.
Cantatore kept the team structure formed by Prieto, but brought
to Cobreloa two big names: Oscar Wirth and Enzo Escobar. In addition,
a very timid left-footed player from Lota Schwager arrived; his
name was Hector Puebla and he eventually became the player fans
most identify with. The Old Cantatore (as he was called by the
players) knew many of the players due to his time in Lota Schwager.
The start was difficult: Cobreloa was beaten by Colo-Colo in the
semifinals of the Polla Gol Cup (a pre-seasonal tournament). But
as the time went by, the team began to improve and acquiring the
temple that would make them be close to winning the Libertadores
Cup.
In the last part of the tournament, Cobreloa showed an arrollador
pace. They won whenever and wherever they had to. The key winning
was in Iquique, where it defeated the home team 2 - 0, with Nelson
Pedetti and Victor Merello scoring. Meanwhile, Universidad de
Chile was unable to beat Lota Schwager as they tied 1 -1.
The next week, Cobreloa needed to win to be champion directly
and to not depend on what U. de Chile could do. Cobreloa did what
it had to, and defeated Lota Schwager with a clear 3 - 0 (which
eventually meant that Lota would go to the Second Division). Finally,
Cobreloa was the Champion.
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