Angola: Premeiro de Agosto upset Petro de Luanda to delay Girabola title party

Clube Desportivo 1º de Agosto/Facebook

1ª de Agosto beat Petro de Luanda 1-0 on Saturday in Angola's Girabola to hand coach Flávio Amado his first defeat and delay potential title celebrations.

Flávio Amado, who replaced Ricardo Chéu two weeks ago, went into the match hoping to lead Petro de Luanda to a fourth consecutive Girabola title with a win.

However, Petro's city rivals had other ideas as they won the game to remain third place, twelve points adrift of Petro de Luanda. The leaders’ lead over second-placed Wiliete FC is now just six points with three games to the finish line.

Flávio Amado started his reign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Academica Lobito the previous weekend but found Os Rubro e Negros a hard nut to crack. A second half header from a corner kick by Aguinaldo Matias was enough for the visitors to claim their first victory over Petro in over three years.

Former Angolan international Amado replaced Ricardo Chéu, who was sacked two weeks ago following the Luanda based team’s elimination from the Angolan Cup quarterfinal on April 30.

Flavio has since presided over one game leading Petro de Luanda to a win. The Luanda-based side cannot be displaced from the top if they win on Saturday.

Flavio is a cult-hero at Petro de Luanda after playing for them between 1999 and 2005, before signing for Al Ahly SC in Egypt, where his status as Africa's great for club and country was elevated.

Now aged 45, Amado scored 34 goals in 84 national team appearances before venturing into coaching, starting with Petro de Luanda's youth side.