Africa-Press – Angola. On Friday, 1. ° de Agosto reclaimed the Angola Cup title in senior men’s handball, the last trophy of the season, by beating Interclube, 23-17, in the final played at the Main Pavilion of the Cidadela.
With a full house, fans of the sport waited expectantly for the duel of giants, as it was a repeat of the last final. On one side were the military with a sense of revenge, after being eliminated in the semi-finals of the national championship. On the other, the police had their attention turned to the double.
The challenge was marked by balance, with stopping and responding, but there was no shortage of great style moves, and the contenders drew applause and whistles from the spectators.
Coach Filipe Cruz drew the attention of the athletes, in the conversation he asked for calm and concentration. The “pulling” of ears would have an effect and the “students” followed the “teacher’s” instructions with a six-goal draw and then produced a 2-0 partial, 6-8 was the result.
The two teams went into the break with a difference of one goal, 11-12, with the Augustinians taking advantage.
In the restart, the red and black teams were superior to their opponents. With difficulties in targeting Ariel da Silva’s goal, José Pereira “Kidó” asked for a time-out to redefine strategies, given the numerical advantage, 13-19, of six goals.
Without the strength to counter the offensive power of the military, the police were forced to chase the result, but without the desired effect. In other words, the same motivation that was evident at the national level was missing.
Goalkeeper Ariel da Silva was the standout performer, as a wall in the headquarters of Filipe Cruz’s team, he nullified most of the opposition’s moves. When taking the seven-meter free kick, the goalkeeper was lucky and made ten saves.
In the final phase, 1.o de Agosto intelligently managed the few minutes remaining until the final whistle. With a response to match, those present enjoyed the match between the main references in men’s handball. The police had no choice but to salute the soldiers.
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