On paper it was simple for Dragan Adzic’s Slovenia if they wanted to make it through to the main round of the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship; avoid defeat against Angola in their final preliminary round match on Tuesday (7 December).

In the end, the co-hosts of the 2022 Women’s European Championship drew with the African champions to ensure three more games at the Palau d’Esports de Granollers, against RHF, Poland and Serbia later this week.

GROUP A
Angola vs Slovenia 25:25 (14:13)

A sign of just how important this game was seeing both captain Ana Gros and centre back Elizabeth Omoregie lining up on court for the start with the pair not at full fitness, Gros featuring heavy strapping around her left thigh.

Angola started slowly, allowing Slovenia to take a 3:0 lead (4th minute), but in a pattern throughout the opening 30 minutes, Felipe Cruz’s side would catch up – and then let Slovenia get away again.

The game was not particularly special for the goalkeeper saving ratio but this was more to do with the absolutely huge number of huge rockets delivered to the backs of their respective nets by Gros, and Angola’s Guialo amongst others.

At times, you could only wonder at the devastating accuracy, speed and damage the shots did – and also question the decisions of those in the goals, but it was not only deep shooting that impressed.

The ongoing battle between Omoregie and Angola’s influential line player Albertina Kassoma was fascinating, and not only when Kassoma’s side were in attack. 

An exhausted Omoregie sat down on the bench at half-time, breathing out heavily, towel around her neck to soak up the sweat and a minute to gather her thoughts on her competition throughout the first half against Kassoma of which she conceded 10cm and 20kg against.

Maybe the breath was also about the fact that Slovenia had gone in 13:14 down – the first time in the whole half they had found themselves behind. After drawing level (12:12), coach Cruz implored his team from the sidelines, shouting “calma, calma, calma”, and this seemed to do the trick as Natalia Fonseca showed some great work to ensure that slight lead.

“We knew it would be a really tough match and we know how much stronger the Angola players were,” said Omoregie to ihf.info after the match. “At half-time coach said we are giving away easy fast-break goals and not returning back well and not focusing – they were coming and shooting easy goals.

“We were scoring and were good and organised but we corrected those easy goals that they were scoring.”

The second half saw Angola push ahead by as much as three (18:15, 37th minute) as they looked to give themselves hopes of a main round spot, but Slovenia kept them in check, partly thanks to a two-minute for Kassoma after Omoregie was brought down mid-air.

A team with Gros in should never be discounted but even she was a nervous onlooker as the game went back and forth in the closing moments – the lead changed four times in five minutes when Angola went up 19:18 with 15 minutes remaining.

At the end of that Slovenia were ahead again (23:22), but Angola, helped by a time out came back again (23:23, 54th minute). Following a subsequent Adzic time out Gros missed a chance to go ahead as Gros’ decision to try a lob from the wing rather than a bullet backfired and the shot was easily saved. As she left the court for the transition, a loud scream was let out and a water bottle knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of a Slovenian kick.

The teams could not be separated in the closing moments despite their best efforts and that suited Slovenia, who live to fight another day.

hummel Player of the Match: Ana Gros, Slovenia