The 2020/21 national women’s roller hockey champion is found! In a game full of somersaults and marked by many goals and a roller coaster of emotions, Benfica beat Sporting by 8×5 in the 3rd and final game of the champion qualifying play-off and became national champion of women’s roller hockey in the 8th consecutive time.
After winning the first game of the final (3×5), at Pavilhão João Rocha, Benfica ended up being surprised at home, in Luz, and lost to their eternal rival, Sporting, in the penalty shoot-out (1×1). For this reason, everything was resolved in this 3rd and final game, known as “negra”, again played in Luz. On the one hand, Benfica was looking for the octacampeonato, while Sporting wanted to make history with its first championship in history.
Festival of goals tied
With everything at stake in this match, Sporting entered the match more intensely and with just 16 seconds of game played, they benefited from a penalty, successfully converted by Ana Catarina Ferreira, to inaugurate the marker and place themselves in advantage in a match for the first time in these finals. However, Benfica reacted in the best way and just 30 seconds later the captain Marlene Sousa finished in the best way a good play of understanding incarnate, restoring equality. Three minutes later, it was the turn of Argentinean Flor Felamini, in an individual play, to confirm the somersault.
The match was fast, intense and stop-and-response, but Benfica was the most comfortable, controlling the lions’ most predictable attacks, which led Paulo Almeida’s team to extend their advantage with some naturalness. First it was the same Felamini, at eight minutes, to convert a penalty. Then it was Maria Sofia Silva’s turn to take advantage of a great assist from Argentina’s number 9 to make the 4×1, at a time of greater leonine disorganization.
This 4×1 advantage led Benfica to lower their game pace a lot and Sporting reacted in the best way, not letting themselves be taken by the three-goal disadvantage. The beginning of the answer came by captain Ana Catarina Ferreira, who in an individual play won a new penalty, but ended up allowing the defense of the incarnated guardian. However, in the next move the referee team ended up signaling another penalty in favor of the lions and this time Rita Lopes did not waste and reduced it to 2×4.
On minute 16, it was the Lopes sisters’ turn to conduct a counter-attack play in the best possible way, with Rita watching Rute for a 4×3 0, but the break would not come without Sporting managing to tie everything up, after being behind by three goals. In yet another counterattack, Argentina’s Benfica Agustina Fernández ended up having the misfortune of scoring an own goal, when she was trying to prevent Sofia Moncóvio’s goal, and left everything tied before going to the changing rooms.
Experience gives titles
With the return of the changing rooms, Benfica started the match better and created more opportunities, although the red players were holding on to the ball a lot, which facilitated the defensive mission of Leon. Sporting still reacted and was close to the goal, but the first goal of the match would even belong to the reds, with Flor Felamini, at seven minutes, leading a new individual play and benefiting from a rebound inside the leonine area to place the ball in the bottom of the opponent’s goal.
The goal did well for Benfica, who could have extended the advantage ten minutes into the second half, but Felamini fired past goalkeeper Cláudia Vicente’s goal, following a penalty awarded for a ball caught by the goalkeeper. With the game going into its last 15 minutes, the benches game began, with the two coaches asking for several time-outs to make a difference in the game and Sporting was looking for losses to re-launch in the match.
On the other hand, Benfica were patient in attack and cohesive in defense, ending up extending the advantage with nine minutes to go, with captain Marlene Sousa taking advantage of a great individual initiative by Maria Sofia Silva stops, near the goal, to make the 6×4. The eagles did not stop here, however, and with six minutes to go, Argentina’s Felamini had a genius move, dribbling an opponent out of the way and placing the ball between the leonine goalkeeper’s legs.
With 7×4 on the scoreboard, Sporting had difficulties in penetrating the tight red defense and Ana Catarina Ferreira even shot at the post in the 22nd minute. Shortly after, the captain managed to reduce to 7×5 with a long-distance shot, but 15 seconds from the end Sporting made the 10th foul and Benfica was entitled to a direct free kick, successfully converted by Maria Sofia Silva, through a picadinha, which closed, in this way, the result in 8×5.
With this result, Benfica beat Sporting in the 3rd and final game of the final and became national champion of roller hockey, the 8th consecutive title – in 2019/20 there was no champion due to the covid-19 pandemic – in its history .
@ Zero Zero
