A week after the elimination in the quarters of the Champions football, the Barça brutal revenge has been taken against the Paris Saint-Germain in the same round and same European handball competition.
The team of Carlos Ortega has shaken PSG by eight goals in the Stade Pierre Coubertain of the French capital (22-30) and, therefore, has practically put both feet in the long-awaited Cologne Final Four (June 8-9).
Barring an unthinkable catastrophe next Thursday in the PalauBarça will once again be among the four best teams in Europe and will fight in the majestic Lanxess Arena from the German city on the 12th European Cup of its history.
From the first to the second half, the game changed as if it were a sock: Barça was always on defense, but their metamorphosis in attack was absolute and they failed too much against an inspired Andreas Palicka in the first half (14-11 at half-time with eight saves by the local goalkeeper) went on to put on a devastating festival in the second, with a partial score of 8-19 that leaves the tie almost in sight (22-30).
The physical wear and tear of PSG, with fewer quality rotations than Barça, was a hindrance for the French that the Blaugrana took advantage of to score and complete a dream second half: the change to 5:1 defense first, the spectacular response to the attack of ‘seven against six’ later, Gonzalo’s stops (10 with a 50% success rate) and offensive efficiency unleashed a perfect storm that took PSG ahead.
Dika Mem, in action during PSG-Barça
TERESA SUÁREZ / EFE
That lethal outcome for Barça had a more disturbing prologue, especially because Palicka made his goal small with his interventions. PSG was immediately left without his deadliest arm, Elohim Prandiwho went to the bench after two minutes after suffering from the injury he suffered last Saturday in the final of the French Cup.
For the second consecutive game, the team Raul Gonzalez has received the same severe corrective, since the HBC Nantes They took that title the other day by winning by an almost identical result (23-31), also in Paris.
Without Prandi on the track, Nikola Karabatic He occupied the left back, but the ex-Azulgrana is 40 years old and, in the season of his retirement, his performance is already more irregular and he finished without goals.
The lowering of Mathieu Grebille It was another setback for PSG as it involved the defensive center back along with Luka Karabaticalthough in that sense the young man Peleka began with success and vigor, also jumping immediately at the movements of Dika Memtoo alone in Barça during the first act.
Between Palicka’s saves and goals from Tonnesen and from another ex-azulgrana, SyprzakPSG went three ahead in the 17th minute (9-6) by taking advantage of the minutes of Barça’s greatest confusion, forced to look for solutions on the bench, the main one being the entry of Gonzalo in place of Emil Nielsen, who only contributed one 13-pitch stoppage.
In that sense, Petar Cikusa He also gave a first taste of his magnificent second half with a brave attack that reduced the gap (12-11 in the 26th minute) before the break was 14-11.
Barça’s defense was superb: Thiagus Petrus and Blaz Janc stopped PSG centre-back Luc Steins
TERESA SUÁREZ / EFE
PSG achieved its biggest advantage (15-11 in the 32nd minute) and it took Barça five minutes to score its first goal after the restart (15-12), but from that moment on, superb in both areas, it went taking over the party until he became the sole lord and master.
González called a time-out when Barça turned the score around 1-6 in eight minutes (16-17) and launched an attack with seven players, without a goalkeeper, but the Catalan team was fed up with recovering balls and scoring goals on goal. empty without the PSG coach turning back: the result was a hurtful partial of 3-13 that pointed to a scandalous win: 18-24 in the 49th minute.
Raúl González took a long time to oxygenate his starters and, when he did, the second unit already had a very difficult role against Barça, whose job is a known virtue. Ortega did move his pieces (Cikusa, Valera and Langaro They also had their minutes), so Dika Mem was able to rest and arrive fresher at the final stretch.
Champions
Quarterfinal first legs
Paris SG-Barça, 22-30
Telekom Veszprem-Aalborg, 32-31
Montpellier-THW Kiel, 39-30
Kielce-Magdeburg, 27-26
PSG still had a burst of pride (22-25 in the 55th minute), but still received a final slap from Barça, which ended the match and surely the tie with a final partial of 0-5, also signed by a last goal of Petar Cikusa 5″ from the end (22-30), the fourth of his account without failure to celebrate his recent contract with the first team, until 2027.
The future is also yours, but it already counts a lot for a promising present: Cologne is just around the corner. Meme (7 goals), Richardson (6), Frade (6), Cikusa (4) and Arino (3) led Barça’s offensive display in Paris against a diminished PSG that is still looking for its first Champions League. Everything says that this year it will not be his turn either.
Data sheet
22 – Paris SG (14-8): Palicka (Green), Steins (3), Syprzak (7, 3p), Tonnesen (4), Ferran Solé (4), Peleka (1), Prandi -starting team-; Luka Karabatic, Nikola Karabatic, Ntanzi (1), Gibelin, Plantin, Holm (1), Keita (1) and Marchán.
30 – Barça (11-19): Nielsen (Gonzalo), Aleix (1), Dika Mem (7), Frade (6), Petrus, Carlsbogard (2), Ariño (3) -starting team-; Richardson (6, 3p), Janc, N’Guessan, Petar Cikusa (4), Javi Rodríguez (1), Pol Valera, Langaro and Wanne.
Referees: Robert Schulze and Tobias Tönnies (Germany).
Exclusions: Luka Karabatic (2), Solé, Tonnesen (PSG); Janc and Frade (Barça).
Marker: 2-2, 4-4, 8-6, 11-8, 12-10, 14-11 (rest); 15-12, 16-17, 17-21, 19-24, 22-25 and 22-30 (final).
Incidents: First leg of the Champions League quarterfinals played at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris in front of around 3,500 spectators.
