Fla wins its debut and goes to the final of the National Basketball Hero Cup, in Angola

GLOBOESPORTE.COM Luanda, Angola

Flamengo is in the final of the first edition of the Taça Herói Nacional, being played in Luanda, Angola. This Wednesday, the red-and-black team defeated Petro de Luanda 82-80 (41-33 in the first half) in the competition's opening match. Now, they face Clube 1º de Agosto this Thursday. "It was a very tough game, but we managed to maintain control until the end. The team played well and made it to the final, which was our goal," said Jefferson William, CR Flamengo's power forward/center, who scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds, and rebounded four. Besides Jefferson, point guard Hélio was another standout player in the game. He scored the same 22 points as his teammate, along with five assists. In the final, Flamengo expects another tough game against 1º de Agosto, who defeated Recreativo de Libolo 73-58 (38-36 in the first half), also on Wednesday. "Another tough game, against a strong and traditional Angolan basketball team. But we hope to repeat the good performance of this opening round and fight for the title," said Jefferson. The National Hero Cup, promoted by the philanthropic organization Raízes de Angola, aims, among other things, to link the celebrations of September 17, the birthday of Angola's first president, António Agostinho Neto, who died on September 10, 1979.