Interclube saw off Académica do Lobito 2:0 in the Girabola's fourth round of fixtures on Thursday. The result keeps the hosts on course for a top-half finish while Académica remain rooted to the bottom of the table. It was a comfortable evening for the home side, who had already beaten the visitors 1:0 earlier in the season.
Interclube dominated possession of the ball and created more opportunities throughout. They registered 91 attacks compared to Académica's 68, though the difference in corners was marginal — four to five. The visitors could not find a way past the home defence, and their lack of cutting edge was evident in the final third.
The statistics told a familiar story. Interclube had eleven goal kicks to Académica's five, which suggests the visitors spent more time defending than attacking. Two yellow cards for the hosts against one for the away side showed a slightly scrappier encounter than the scoreline indicated. By then, the result was never really in doubt.
Interclube sit fifth with six points from three games, two wins and one defeat. Académica are sixteenth with zero points from three losses — a difficult start to the campaign. The gap between the two sides has widened, and the visitors cannot afford another slip if they want to avoid trouble.
Académica's run of defeats stretched to three matches after this result. They had lost 0:2 to Primeiro de Maio, 0:2 to Petro de Luanda, and 0:2 to Vilite in their previous outings. The winless streak continued, and the pressure must be mounting on the coaching staff to turn things around.
Interclube's performance was efficient rather than spectacular. They took their chances when they came and kept a clean sheet, which will please the manager. The draw brought them together early in the season, and this time the home side made sure they came out on top.