Magdeburg surprises Barca on penalties, which is left with out the third handball Champions League in a row

MADRID, June 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Barca fell this Saturday 2-1 within the penalty shootout towards SC Magdeburgo within the semifinals of the handball Champions League, after an additional time that ended 38-38 and thus staying out of the grand closing for the title, due to a tense match held on the Lanxess Area in Cologne (Germany).

At this new Remaining 4 for the utmost continental gimp, performed of their fetish pavilion, the cules introduced themselves with the favourite band. Not surprisingly, Carlos Ortega’s pupils defended their title and had been on their solution to their third European crown in a row, which if achieved could be the twelfth of their report.

A greater than lustrous resume, however one which didn’t intimidate a rookie Magdeburgo in these conflicts. Whereas the blaugrana performed their fourth consecutive Remaining 4, the crew coached by Bennet Wiegert barely observed that they had been experiencing their first presence on this definitive quadrangular event at Lanxess Area.

On the again of Danish left-back Michael Damgaard, scorer of six targets within the first half, Magdeburg performed a face-to-face match towards Barca. The Slovenian center-back Domen Makuc, who reached the break with 4 targets in his baggage, was Barca’s greatest asset together with fellow left-back Timothey N’Guessan and pivot Ludovic Fabregas.

The dominant equality prevented any crew from taking off on the scoreboard, though Ortega’s males did get pleasure from minimal revenue till they bought 15-18 earlier than the intermission. The Dutch right-back Kay Smits scored from a penalty on 16-18 nearly within the thirtieth minute, giving hope to his crew and taking on from Damgaard as offensive beacon.

Regardless of the push as quickly as he returned from the locker room, which earned him extra instances with +3 (17-20, 18-21), Barca suffered a ‘caraja’ and Smits took benefit of it to attain mercilessly. Magdeburgo then turned emboldened, improved in protection and accomplished their comeback to determine a 25-23 that alarmed Ortega’s bench.

To prime it off, goalkeeper Nikola Portner started to take middle stage. His intimidation even induced Aleix Gomez to overlook a 7-meter throw that was important. The Catalan crew lacked concepts and fluidity in assault. There was additionally one thing epic from the aim, because the coldness of Emil Nielsen was as efficient as one thing bland.

The same old claw of Gonzalo Perez de Vargas turned a key piece if Barca tried to mitigate the fireplace. And nicely that he did, after a save of his personal, with a aim from Aleix Gomez himself to tie (25-25) halfway by means of the second half. From that second, Wiegert’s males endured the rival arreones whereas at all times scoring as a solution.

The Barcelona crew didn’t get again up till 29-30, however with a positive assault on their opponent. Because of a penetration on the sting of the realm, Gisli Kristjansson collided with Thiagus Petrus and when he fell off his proper shoulder got here off. There have been 4 minutes left to complete, so the pause that occurred whereas Kristjansson was attended to was a breather.

The medical doctors took him to the locker room, together with his arm in a sling, and the result provisionally smiled at Magdeburg. Nerves had gripped each contenders, Barca didn’t know easy methods to preserve their benefit and the Germans scored 31-31 by means of the mediation of the omnipresent Smits within the final play. The extension was, thus, served.

DAMGAARD ​​ENSURES EXTRA TIME WITH A STRETCH

He was in a position to keep away from it with a shot from Blaz Janc from distant, as quickly as he took off the middle. The goalkeeper was nonetheless returning to his zone, as Magdeburg had attacked with yet one more participant, however Damgaard stretched out to intercept Janc’s left footed shot. Even if the referees reviewed the motion, they dominated that there was no space invasion and that every part was authorized.

In further time, Wiegert’s males led the way in which, with variations of their favor restricted to +2 (35-33, 36-34, 37-35). Nonetheless, they faltered within the closing moments, with a shot included within the final second of the stopwatch. He was stopped by Nielsen, this time exhibiting pleasure in his gestures, and the duel headed for a penalty shootout.

On this state of affairs, the cules solely scored their first shot by Aleix Gomez; Hampus Wanne, Melvyn Richardson and Dika Mem then missed. On the German facet, errors by Daniel Pettersson and Magnus Saugstrup didn’t detract from their pleasure after the decisive miss by Ludovic Fabregas, whose shot was repelled by Mike Jensen.

The crew coached by Ortega had chained 25 video games with out shedding in Europe, however that streak was reduce brief by his explicit black beast. In earlier duels between the 2 golf equipment, Magdeburg has already crushed Barca within the final two seasons in each editions of the Tremendous Globe. And now, for the third time in a row, the steadiness tipped for the German facet.