Penalties give Junior second straight Colombian league title

(Reuters) - Junior de Barranquilla won the Colombian first division for the second time in a row on Wednesday but they needed a shootout to do so after going down 1-0 to Deportivo Pasto in the second leg in Bogota.

Pasto's Ray Vanegas got the only goal of the game with nine minutes left to even the tie 1-1 on aggregate and force a shootout. But Vanegas turned villain when he missed the last of the 10 spot kicks to ensure the title went to Junior 5-4 on penalties.

The Apertura title, the first of two in the Colombian system of two leagues each year, was Junior’s ninth league win and follows their Finalizacion triumph last December.

(Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Peter Rutherford)