Belenenses claimed a narrow 27:24 victory over Vitória in the opening round of Andebol 1 on Friday. The match took place at the home venue and decided the table positions after just one game. It was Belenenses who took the points, while Vitória settled for a draw despite being away.
The result puts Belenenses top of the table with three points from their first outing. Vitória sit eighth with a single point, having failed to win their opening fixture. To be fair, neither side has had much time to establish patterns yet — one game tells only part of the story.
And here's the thing about that scoreline: twenty-seven goals to twenty-four suggests both teams found the net regularly but neither could pull clear. Belenenses have not lost since their last outing against Marítimo back in May, though this is a new campaign. Vitória's recent record shows mixed results — they beat Arsenal in March but have struggled against stronger opposition.
By then, both squads would have been reshuffled. The old head settled them down, perhaps, or maybe it was simply the pressure of a new season. What matters now is that Belenenses started positively, while Vitória will be looking for something more from their next game.