For the second consecutive season and the seventeenth time in the club’s history, Petro de Luanda are the champions of Angola’s top division Girabola following action from the weekend. Os Tricolores defeated fellow capital side Interclube by a 2-0 score on Sunday to move out of reach of rivals Primeiro de Agosto with nine points separating the teams. Petro will return to the CAF Champions League under successful head coach Alexandre Santos who guided the club to the semifinals of Africa’s top club competition during the 2021-22 season. Primeiro de Agosto will also represent Angola in the Champions League next season after finishing as runners-up to their rivals again.
Petro had a couple moments of doubt during this season but fifth placed Interclube gave the champions little trouble on Sunday. Central defender Kinito opened the scoring for Petro in the fifth minute by firing in after a corner kick from Brazilian winger Gleison was allowed to fall in the Interclube penalty area. Interclube failed to provide much of a challenge for their opponents and Petro star striker Tiago Azulão completed the victory with a penalty kick conversion early in the second half.
Head coach Santos dedicated the championship to his parents who visited from Portugal to experience the joy of victory with their son on Sunday. The Brazilian forward Azulão continues his legendary scoring run in the Girabola, finishing as the Golden Boot winner of the league for the third consecutive season with twenty goals. The 35-year-old Azulão confirmed that he wants to stay at Petro for one more season where he has 116 goals from 169 matches over seven seasons.
Watch the goals in a video report below from Agência Angola Press on Petro’s latest championship.
