On the third day of the Libertadores Handball Championship, Pinheiros defeated Sedalo 28-18 at the Arena do Centro Multiuso in San José, Brazil, and qualified for the semifinals of the tournament.. The MVP of the match was Jessica Oliveira (Pinheiros).
Melina Cabaleiro opened the scoring for Argentina 2 minutes into the match. Sedalo was up by 3 goals and even stretched the lead to 5-1.
Rebeca Gregorio of Pinheiros was able to cut several passes which were counterattacks that ended in goals and the goalkeeper, Jessica Oliveira, was fundamental in the first half since for 10 minutes she prevented Sedalo from scoring. Pinheiros was up by 6 points but lost one of its players and the Argentine team recovered the goal but it was not enough to reduce the advantage of the Brazilians who closed the first half 16-9.
The second half started with a penalty conversion by Oriana Lezana for Sedalo’s team, but the failures in their defense and the effectiveness of the rival made the Brazilians stretch the difference in the scoreboard. Pinheiros scored, attacked and converted on every arrival to finish the game 28-18 and qualify for the semifinals.
Pinheiros goalkeeper Jessica Oliveira was elected the MVP of the match.
Post match statements:
Oriana Lezana player of Club Sedalo: “The truth was a very tough match, it is the first time we participate, so we are happy. We had been training for a long time, we didn’t get the results but we are very happy to participate in the tournament”.
Lívia Freitas player of Pinheiros: “Our victory today was very important, it was a tough match that we knew was going to be difficult, just an import victory. It was a little difficult but we set our own pace and managed to win, guaranteeing a place in the semifinals.”
Photo: CoSCABal/Germán Paez
By Martina Gallo
