As Lysa Tchaptchet got a second bite of the ball that slipped out her hands and bundled home a goal to give Spain a 19:18 lead on the 45-minute mark, they may be forgiven for thinking that everything was going to be all right.
A severe opening round loss to Brazil left the Spanish women in serious danger already, facing the proverbial exit door if they were to concede a loss to Angola today.
What followed was the stuff of Spanish nightmares. Angola’s stern defence forced tame long-range shots, While Vilma Nenganga showed them how it’s down, dominating the back court for Angola in attack as they burst into a 7:0 run to lead by six and leave their opponents stunned.
Delivering the big W
Angola showed promise in Thursday’s defeat to Netherlands but we all know there’s a big difference between showing promise and delivering on it at this level.
Their composure and bravery in the final 15 minutes was a joy to behold and it puts them well in the mix for a place for a quarter-final place, a feat they achieved just once, at Rio 2016.
Spain are not out of the running yet but they will have to turn some magic switch and get a couple of big results against a trio of Netherlands, Hungary and France.
This result also means that all three non-European teams have collected a win in the opening two rounds, which we all know is great news for handball in an Olympic context and for us as neutrals.
And how bittersweet it must be for Angola’s coach Carlos Viver, who led Spain to the World Championship semi-final in 2019, to defeat his former side and see their not-so-subtle demise up close. More sweet than bitter, I’d imagine.