Zaftig monkey...a home of their back - Tradução em português

Speaking of Corinthians, they have had quite the year. They won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A last December, two points ahead of Vasco da Gama, but most importantly, for the first time in their history, they managed to behead that pertinacious and zaftig monkey that had made a home of their back and claim the Copa Libertadores de América, beating Boca Juniors 3-1 on aggregate.

A tradução da primeira parte destacada seria "tiveram um ano e tanto"?