A BOLA – Russia beats Portugal (4-3) in the Europeans in a five-hour marathon (Snooker)
Intense game of snooker in the technical-tactical chapter, with Portugal, by Diogo Badalo and Henrique Correia looking into Russia’s eyes with the European runner-up Ivan Kakovskii – and Andrei Karasov – and always leading the score (2-0, 3 -2) – ended with Henrique Correia, 55 years old, in tears, seeing the victory for which they struggled in the ’round of 16′ of the ESC Online European Snooker Championships Senior Teams run through his fingers, even in the last ball on the table, the black (3-4), this Saturday.
The standing applause of all (many) present in the room to the club gladiators who, for more than 5 hours, dignified Russia and Portugal, before an explosion by Henrique Correia, trying without being able to resolve heartfelt tears, sums up the feeling : the effort and sweat known there, along with the pride, on both sides, with the tip of happiness to the beneficiary who, in the overall balance, did less for her but was colder and had all the merit at the time of the decision: the two young Russians (20 and 22 years old).
There were five hours of titanic mental, theoretical and practical battle – when Henrique Correia, from Viana do Castelo, 55 years old, a European pool champion who even deals in snooker, could not contain the emotion and frustration of seeing the its Portugal giving everything and not being rewarded.
Sport is cruel and dramatic moments are recurrent. If Portugal beat Israel in a game that ended at 2 am (3-2) in the group stage, and also had a tiebreaker only with a black ball on the table for an hour, on Friday, in which Belgium ended up taking the lead. way, now he had misfortune with him.
It’s very hard to lose like that, when you had the keys to the ‘rooms’ in your hand. Portugal, with Diogo Badalo carburizing with Henrique Correia. Even in ‘black’ the victory was mathematically assured.
Kakovskii needed three fouls, in addition to clearing the three balls on the table (blue, pink and black). After Correia had two chances in blue for one of the middle holes and a capricious pink who insisted on not going to sleep in the hole’s gutter hammock, she always ended up with the white one (very well) hidden and making the faults that the Dev , to win at black (3-4).
Team Portugal was in ninth place, but with what they did (and deserved) that they cheered by their side on Friday and this Saturday, Henrique Correia and Diogo Badalo, like trees, have fallen from their feet and may, one day, count the grandchildren who are Irish in 9th place in European Snooker (Senior Team competition).
They went far beyond imagining, and the faces of the Russians who watched the duel said it all: it remains to be seen how, stoically, they ended up winning, as they were always much closer to the abyss than whoever ended up falling without glory there: Portugal. Honor to the losers.
«We gave everything for Portugal, we fought at dawn to beat Israel, after the drama we didn’t only tie with a black ball and now this disappointment. Luck wanted nothing to do with us, but the game is like that », told A BOLA Diogo Badalo,
Henrique Correia was unhappy. “Good luck to the Russians, luck followed them, I couldn’t close the game. This one hurt, but it’s still like that. We deserved more. That pink ball that didn’t want to get in the middle, capricious, I realized it wasn’t meant to be. But I tried. It’s better than not doing it and just wondering what it would have been like not to take any chances”, said the Portuguese who was more embraced yesterday at Salgados. And that deserves the recognition of the entire country.
André Santos final referee for Senior Teams
With the quarter finals of the Men, Women and Senior Teams (players over 40 years old) concluding this Saturday in Salgados, on Sunday the semi-finals of the last three events (10 hours) and the last three are played last finals, at 14 hours.
After the Belgians Ben Mertens (under-18) and Wendy Jans (Women), the Welsh Dylan Emery (under-21) and Darren Morgan (Seniors), the Estonian Andres Petrov (‘Red Six) and the Englishman Oliver Brown (Men) , after six European champions, ESC Online European Snooker Championships will celebrate Sunday, the last of the 17 days of the competition that started on the 2nd at VidaMar Resort Hotel Algarve, the last three European champions, in the Team – Seniors competitions (more than 40 years), Male and Female.
And if there will be no Portuguese competing, two will be at the table: the 29-year-old lacobrigense André Santos – Class 2 referee, who directed the final of the main event at Euro-2020, also in Albufeira – will direct the Senior Teams final , assisted by compatriot Filipa Lourenço, 30 years old.
An honor for the national arbitration, and courtesy of the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA) and the Portuguese Billiard Federation, organizers of the event, with Portugal. It should be remembered that Miguel Santos has also directed the Women’s Singles final in this Euro-2021.
“It is always a responsibility and an honor. I will try to repay the trust placed in me and go unnoticed, which is always the main objective of a referee”, said André Santos to A BOLA.