In the absence of a second for the outcome, Alexandrina Barbosa, or 'Shandy' - as everyone knows her - armed her arm from almost nine meters to release an unappealable lash. His decisive goal against Montenegro meant the first place for Las Guerreras in Group C of the World Cup. An immaculate first round that opens an unthinkable path before starting the appointment. Spain marked the qualification for the Pre-Olympic as the main objective, but now look beyond. Much more.

And it does, in part, thanks to 'Shandy' (Lisbon, 1986), the top scorer of the national team in the championship: 30 goals in five games. His optimal role has led to the classification of the team led by Carlos Viver to the 'Main Round' with four points. Accessing the semifinals is no longer a utopia. Today (12.30 pm, Teledeporte) the girls face their first duel with Sweden, which has three points. The host Japan and Russia complete the group B. France, current world champion, fell eliminated to the first exchange by adding only two wins in five games.

The coach, Carlos Viver, has delivered all the prominence to the 33-year-old side , who missed the European past because of his pregnancy. Her decision to be a mother brought her problems with the managers of the French Nantes Atlantique, club in which she had just landed in 2018. Although she was invited to leave, the law of the French sport protected her and prevented the team from being able to break your contract

Jesus in training

Now, a year after that unpleasant situation, 'Shandy' returns to enjoy the handball in the company of his little one, Jesus, who was present in all the training of Las Guerreras during the concentration in the north of Madrid, prior to the transfer to Japan .

Born in Lisbon and with Cape Verdean descent , she reached the Spanish handball in summer 2005 to sign with BM Sagunto. There, in his first season, he became one of the top ten scorers in the EHF Champions League, with 46 goals. Later, he continued his career at Asfi Itxako Navarra, a club that disappeared in 2013 and forced 'Shandy' to go to the foreign market. Since then, he went through the Romanian Oltcim Valcea, the German Thuringer, the French Fleury and the Russian Rostov Don, until signing in summer 2018 with his current club, the Nantes Atlantique.

His relationship with the goal accompanies him since he went to the lower categories of the Portuguese team. His role in a Junior World Cup - still with Portugal - opened the doors of the Spanish league and, subsequently, of the national team. In 2012 the Government granted him nationality by naturalization and was able to debut that same year at the orders of the then coach, Jorge Dueñas. Since his arrival, seven years ago, he has lived from successes such as the European silver of 2014, to the nightmare at the Rio de Janeiro Games, where Spain fell in the quarterfinals with France after leaving with seven goals of advantage to rest .

541 goals

Seven years in Las Guerreras have served to become one of the top scorers of the national team, with 541 goals. Although still far from the greatest producer, the historic Marta Mangué , who reached 981 goals in the Rio Games. An unconquerable figure for 'Shandy', who at 33 could see the Tokyo Olympics as his last major tournament with the national team.

«Shandy is a fundamental player for us», explained the coach, Carlos Viver, after the victory against Montenegro this Friday. «The result makes us dream; we have added points that can lead us to an objective even greater than the one set at the beginning, ”said the coach, who has perfectly combined that mix of veteran and youth of the workforce. 'Shandy', along with Navarre Nerea Pena - second top scorer -, have made dream of a team that came to the World Cup with a goal, the Pre-Olympic, which is about to be fulfilled. Now, thinking about the semifinals is no longer a chimera.

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