While the Schleswig-Holsteiners have been waiting for a win in all competitions for five games, Barcelona, like AaB Aalborg, THW Kiel and KS Vive Kielce, as one of the two top teams in each group, bought their direct ticket to the quarter-finals. Coach Carlos Ortega’s team, who moved from TSV Hannover-Burgdorf to Catalonia last summer, is the clear leader in the league. And yet Flensburg could have done a lot more on Thursday. If it weren’t for “Barca’s” keeper Gonzalo Perez de Vargas Moreno, who had had a brilliant day and ended up making 18 saves.
After all: By beating the Ukrainian champions HC Zaporozhye on the green table with 10:0 goals and 2:0 points, the Flensburg team had already qualified for the round of 16 of the premier class. They finished the group stage in sixth place – and thus meet Pick Szeged from Hungary in the play-offs.
First Flensburg’s tub strong, then Barcelona’s goalkeeper
In Barcelona, the SG played freely at the beginning – although in addition to Lasse Svan, Marius Steinhauser and Franz Semper were also absent at short notice. Above all, Hampus Wanne excelled in the early stages, the Swedes scored three goals in the first five minutes (3:1). Of course, Flensburg wanted to show their best side after the bad results. And the Catalans didn’t seem particularly motivated at first – in the sparsely filled hall.
Shorthand: FC Barcelona – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 29:22 (15:11)
Goals Barcelona: Gomez Abello (9/2), Fabregas (4), Langaro Inoue (4), Mem (4), N’guessan (4), Makuc (2), Ben Ali (1), Richardson (1)
Goals Flensburg: Wanne (6/2), Mensah Larsen (5), Mensing (4), Golla (3), Röd (2), Gottfridsson (1), Einarsson (1)
penalty minutes: 2/4
Spectator: 2.159
But as a result, the SG got less and less a ball past goalkeeper Perez de Vargas Moreno. Johannes Golla equalized again for the North Germans to make it 7:7 (13th). After that, the blue-dark reds pulled away to 10:7 – and Machulla took his first time-out. Flensburg could have come close to a goal twice after that. But first Mads Mensah Larsen missed the chance to 10:11 (24 th ), three minutes later the attack to a possible 12:13 fizzled out due to a bad pass. Barcelona led 15:11 at the break.
Machulla’s second break also fizzled out
Machulla tried to give a new impetus with a goalkeeper change: Benjamin Buric now played for the generally unlucky Kevin Möller, who came from Barcelona at the beginning of the season. But the Bosnian national player could have held so much, the SG did not score in front. Already after the 17:11 for “Barca” the coach took the next time-out.
But even this did not bring improvement at first. In the 45th minute, Wanne failed at 15:21 with his second seven-meter throw at Perez de Vargas Moreno. After the 22:15 for the home side in the Palau Blaugrana, the morale of the Flensburg team spoke up, who now came up goal by goal. Aaron Mensing scored to 21:24 (55th). But the Spaniards did not allow more. In the end it was clear.