SC Magdeburg lost the duel for group victory against FC Barcelona. In an incredibly thrilling duel, the reigning title holder from Saxony-Anhalt lost to the record winner from Spain 29:36. For the Spaniards it is the first victory in Magdeburg since September 2005.
Both teams were prone to mistakes in the first few minutes, seemed downright nervous and kept giving the ball away. At the beginning, the Catalans in particular failed to capitalize on their chances, only scoring once from five shots and allowing Magdeburg to take a 2-1 lead after seven minutes.
Four hits in 28 seconds
The incredible pace quickly made the erratic initial phase disappear into oblivion. Both teams scored almost in unison, occasionally taking turns taking the lead, but initially couldn’t get more than one goal. Indicative of the speed of the game: both teams scored twice within 28 seconds, taking the score from 8:8 to 10:10 after 18 minutes.
Both teams didn’t give an inch.
In the final phase of the first round, the Spaniards took advantage of two more technical errors from Magdeburg and pulled away to 13:16. However, the Green-Reds quickly came back completely unimpressed. A double strike from Tim Hornke not only caused a raging hall, but also made the score 16:16 at halftime.
Negative run brings the decision
The pace continued in the second round. After two quick goals from the Blaugrana to make it 16:18, the Magdeburg team fell behind. However, the Elbstadt team kept their hit rate high, used over 80% of their throws for a long time and equalized the score at 24:24 after 45 minutes.
Both teams remained on equal terms until the 51st minute of the game. However, after the score was equalized again at 29:29, Magdeburg lost the thread on defense. A 0:7 run in the last seven minutes ultimately sealed a defeat that was not undeserved but ultimately too heavy. The result pushes Barcelona past Magdeburg into first place.
Paul Comb
