Country: Angola
Coach: Jose Terça Chuma
Key Players: Luzia Kiala (right wing), Beatriz Masseu (centre back), Chelsia Gabriel (centre back)
Qualification for Poland 2018: 2017 CAHB African Women’s Youth Championship - 3rd
History in Tournament: 2006: DNP, 2008: 8th, 2010: 10th, 2012: 15th, 2014: 20th, 2016: 10th
Overview
At the recent 2018 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, in Debrecen, Hungary, Angola coach Edgar Neto named one of the youngest 16-name squads for the Under 20 tournament, with the average age of his players, 18.81 years.
Therefore, it is no surprise that three of those players from Hungary, named in Angola’s U18 squad for Poland 2018 – the trio of 1,70m Clube Desportivo 1° De Agosto players Luzia Kiala (right wing), Beatriz Masseu (centre back) and Chelsia Gabriel (centre back) – have been singled-out by Angola’s coach Jose Terça Chuma as three of his most influential players in Kielce.
While all three played in Angola’s seven games in Hungary, and Masseu shone, with 33 strikes in Debrecen, it is Kiala who will be one of the most influential players for the African side in Poland.
39-year-old Chuma worked alongside Alfredo Rodriguez Alvarez when they took charge of the Angolan women’s youth team for the 2016 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia, where they finished 10th.
Chuma, who has also coached for Clube Desportivo 1° De Agosto, has included players in his provisional squad list for Poland with experience already at youth world championship level.
Kiala was in Slovakia and played over six hours of handball, scoring 31 times and she reunites with the Clube Desportivo Marinha Guerra pivot Rossana Sebastiao Mateus, who was just 15 years old when she appeared in Bratislava, and goalkeeper Paulina Bazolau, who was 16.
“For Poland 2018, I intend to improve on our 10th place from Slovakia,” said Chuma ahead of the tournament. “In the group stage we think we can win two games that will guarantee our passage to another phase and then we will see what happens – it will be all or nothing from then on.”
Angola confirmed their qualification for Poland with third place at the 2017 CAHB African Women’s Youth Championship, held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast last September.
Their bronze place in the seven-team round-robin tournament was effectively confirmed after they lost to eventual champions Egypt 25:22, after both teams had gone into the match on equal points.
Angola could then only draw against their next closest rivals, Tunisia, 26:26, who finished above them on goal difference. In their other matches, Angola beat Senegal, DR Congo, Ivory Coast and Algeria.
Group at Poland 2018
Group A: Germany, Romania, Poland, Brazil, Angola, Slovakia
Games at Poland 2018
All times local
Tuesday 7 August: POL-ANG (18:00)
Thursday 9 August: ANG-GER (20:00)
Friday 10 August: BRA-ANG (20:00)
Sunday 12 August: ROU-ANG (16:00)
Monday 13 August: ANG-SVK (16:00)
IHF & World Championship Social Media
Photo: Angola Handball Federation