RK ZAGREB – BARCELONA 29:31 (14:19)
RK Zagreb: Mandić (3), Grbavac (13); Kos 5, Walczak, Klarica 2, Gojun 1, Srna 2, Molc, Svržnjak, Pavlović, Dibirov 2, Beljavski 5, Kavčić 1, Glavaš 9 (6), Trivković 1, Radojković. Coach Andrija Nikolić
Barcelona: Nielsen (13), Perez de Vargas; Carlsbogard, Mem 5, Arino, Wanne 4, Janc 1, N’Guessan 1, Abello 3 (1), Petrus, Makuc 4, Moron, Richardson 4 (1), Frade 3, Cikuša 5, Rodriguez. Coach Carlos Ortega
Barcelona came out victorious in Zagreb once again, although maybe with a little luck, but deservedly so. After almost three decades, it remains undefeated against its once biggest competitor. It was nice to see the Arena Zagreb filled to capacity, a new record for the season was set. It’s nice to know that many people come to see Barcelona, but also to be seen, because it’s still Barca, not some lesser-known club. Maybe we would grow faster if 12,000 people came to every match, but we don’t have that habit.
Realistically speaking, everything was clear even before the start of the match, but we all hoped it would be different. Barcelona is too serious a team to relax and allow RK Zagreb a real chance, even when they saw that the match was going in their direction.
The speed difference was obvious. With two substitutions, Barcelona’s defense-attack seemed like a jet plane for Zagreb. Even though the people of Zagreb tried hard, they simply could not keep up. The individual quality and speed of Barcelona’s players were impressive. Everyone played great one on one, they moved without the ball and in five seconds they had a chance to score a goal. Zagreb could not keep up with that rhythm, which was already evident after the initial 2:5. Coach Andrija Nikolić tried to stop the situation with a time-out, but Barca made no mistakes. Dika Mem was elusive, and his removal from the game was a show of force.
The Barcelona defense was tough, led by Brazilian Petrus, who was difficult to play against. Zagreb did not manage to implement its plans on the field. At the beginning of the second half, the people of Zagreb showed determination and reduced the gap, but Barcelona still managed to keep the advantage. Ante Grbavac defended brilliantly, but Barcelona stabilized and increased the advantage again.
In the end, Zagreb was unable to make up for the deficit and Barcelona won. in spite of some missed chances. It’s a shame for Zagreb, but that’s sport. there’s always those moments.
