the club finished first in its group; nevertheless it fell short from winning the title by getting knocked-out in semi-finals by Bolívar. In the Clausura Blooming qualified as second best in its group, but in the "Hexagonal Final" the team ended up third behind Bolívar and Oriente; therefore, being left out of another Copa Libertadores berth. The following year and after leaving all the frustrations behind, Blooming resumed its protagonism in the league. With the basis of that group of players, along with the arrival of other key figures such as Bolivian internationals Rubén Tufiño and José Carlos Fernández, Blooming consolidated a squad that led the tournament from the beginning and culminated with the 1998 Clausura title. Later in the year they defeated Wistermann in the championship finals by scores of 3–0 at home and 1–0 as visitors. The city of Santa Cruz turned into a carnival parade in mid December. The fans were exceedingly cheerful and euphoric to see their team win the first national championship in fourteen years. Luckily for them, the reason to celebrate a new championship didn't drag on. The following year, Blooming won the 1999 Apertura with seven points ahead of the second-placed team, Bolívar. Later, they faced the Clausura winners to determine the champions of 1999. Blooming dominated the series over The Strongest by a similar scores of 3–2 on both games, and retained the trophy for another year, with Carlos Aragonés as coach. As an important fact, Blooming is the first team from Santa Cruz to win the title in consecutive seasons. The 1998 title meant Blooming returned to the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 14 years, for the 1999 edition. However, they came last in their group. 2000–present In 2001, Blooming began renovating its squad since some of the talented players that took part in the back-to-back championship run left the institution. As a result, in the following years Blooming had modest participations in the league, maintaining a low profile and lacking ambition. Finally in the 2005 Apertura, Blooming gave its fans a new reason to celebrate when they won the tournament with a young and rejuvenated team under the guidance of Gustavo Quinteros. Blooming secured the title on December 8, in the last game with a 3–2 away victory over The Strongest. Thus, the team finished first in the final group stage or "final six" with five points ahead