The four-goal deficit from the first leg simply proved to be too heavy a mortgage. Coach Maik Machulla’s team didn’t achieve the “perfect game” they had hoped for. So, including the main round, it was the fourth defeat in the fourth comparison with the Catalans this season. Barcelona qualified as the third team for the Final Four in Cologne (June 18th and 19th). KS Vive Kielce (Poland) and KC Veszprem (Hungary) had previously done so.
Flensburg with many mistakes in the early stages
Even the start of the Flensburg game was far from the perfection that had been hoped for. It wasn’t nearly as disastrous as in the first leg, when it was 9-2 after ten minutes. But the SG made too many mistakes in attack. Hampus Wanne, who has recovered from an ankle injury, hit the bar with a seven-meter throw, followed by weak passes and several technical errors. And finally circle runner Johannes Golla threw the play equipment against the beams.
In short: It was clear early on that the North Germans in the “Palau Blaugrana” would probably not succeed in their heroic deed. 2:5 it was from the point of view of Flensburg after 14 minutes.
After all: After a break from Machulla, the SG stabilized. Defense was solid now, agile and determined, with goalkeeper Benjamin Buric providing support behind them. The result was the equalizer to 6:6 (20th). The run could have been even better, but Mads Mensah Larsen twice missed the chance to take the lead with hasty shots. It was 10:10 at the break. With the away goals rule, it was now quite clear that SG would need to score five more goals than the Catalans to progress in the second half.
Barcelona won’t let SG pull away
After the restart, Flensburg struggled to break away from their opponents. But the defending champion just didn’t allow it. It wasn’t really tight for the team of Carlos Ortega, the former coach of TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. When Blaz Janc scored 23:21 (55th) for the hosts, the game was already decided. In the end it was a defeat by three goals.