Barça, first in the group with enormous authority

The Barça team passed over Pick Szeged in the first half (20-10) and won without any problem

Carlos Ortega’s men will face the winner of the round of 16 duel between the fourth in Group A and the fifth in B

Barça has taken the steamroller for a walk this Wednesday to prevail with a clear superiority to an OPT Bank-Pick Szeged with enough casualties (35-25) to ensure first place in the absence of the last day and already waiting to face the winner of the round of 16 clash between the fourth of Group A (it could be the Danish GOG) and the fifth of B that it would not be strange if it was another Danish team like Aalborg.

Aware of the enormous difficulties he had to win in Celje with a great final comeback (27-28) for not facing the match at the top of intensity, the azulgrana team went out for the victory with an excellent job in the defensive center, a stellar Gonzalo and a dizzying circulation in attack with Luka Cindric in command.

The fourth minute had just passed when the locals were already winning 4-2 with three great goals from Dika Mem and one from the Croatian. The problem is that Cindric injured his foot and left in great pain. He did not play again and has not finished overcoming a tremendous jinx with physical problems.

Newly renovated until 2028, Blaz Janc He showed once again that he is one of the great stars of this team and three of his goals without a miss shot the defending champion, who was winning by a scandalous 12-5 at 19′. There the visitors did manage to stop what was coming their way with an improvement in the defensive 6-0.

However, Barça was in a state of grace and Domen Makuc took responsibility with three goals in a row in abrasion to further extend the income to 15-6 with eight minutes to go. There the young academy player Martí Soler joined the party with two goals and the income at half-time was double after Janc signed his fifth goal without a miss (20-10).

By the way Gonzalo made nine saves and conceded 10 goals. Almost 50% effective! At an extraordinary level since the 2021 World Cup, the Toledo player is surpassing himself even this season with extraordinary regularity and decisive importance to form, together with Emil Nielsen, the best goalkeeper on the planet.

Barça returned a little less intense, which, together with a couple of interventions by Roland Mikler and the increase in aggressiveness in the visiting defense, led to a feint reaction that prevented the difference in the score from growing (25-15, min. 40 ).

It was a mirage. The azulgranas found the way to run and achieved a 3-0 run with two goals from Fàbregas that pushed them further towards first place (28-15, min. 42:28)which forced Juan Carlos Pastor to stop the game in one of his last Champions League games as coach of a Pick Szeged team he joined almost 10 years ago.

There the winner of the last two editions of the Champions League lowered the piston again, aware that the first place was already more than assured and that next week’s visit to the track of the Industria Kielce of the Duhsjebaev will be a simple procedure.

Martí Soler scored his fourth goal when he had two in the entire current Champions League that he has played since he came up to the first team due to the serious injury of Aitor Ariño and the game went by with more shocks with good saves from a Mikler who went further and from Gonzalo (16 in total), which is always good. In the end, 35-25 and… to the quarterfinals as group leaders through the front door and waiting for a rival!