Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline sounded bitter again for Barça in Cologne, in the Champions League semifinal (40-39). Again, once again, he crashed against the rival that has choked him the most in recent years, a Magdeburg that was more solid in the second half and the final minutes, and was more successful in a fateful penalty shootout (2- 1).
The king of Europe, the current two-time continental champion, will therefore not be able to seek the third consecutive crown in the Final four because he once again suffered the rookie’s curse: it is the fifth time that the team that debuts in the competition has beaten him in the final four (Hamburg, Flensburg, Montpellier, Vardar and Magdeburg).
In a tremendous atmosphere, before 20,000 fans in the European temple of handball, the majestic Lanxess Arena, the permanent venue for the Final Four, Barça and Magdeburg offered a duel of power to power, between two battleships with an arsenal of bombers. From a good start, Carlos Ortega’s men wanted to print a dizzying rhythm, with the break and in the center kicks to look for the counter-goal and catch the German defense on the wrong foot. This was how the Blaugrana team began to take the initiative and build a few minimal advantages (4-5, with three goals from Aleix Gómez).
But Magdeburg is very much Magdeburg, and as Cindric said, it is “a carbon copy of Barça”. So his gamers plagiarized the blaugrana speed, their very fast center kicks, to speed up the game and seize the initiative on the scoreboard from Chrapkowski’s 7-6 run. The defenses did not contain the barrage of attacking play and the goalkeepers cringed from so much potential.
Each goal was followed by its reply. In that exchange of madness, without truce, without giving the slightest breath, Aleix Gómez felt in his sauce. The Sabadell winger took responsibility for scoring 4 of the 12 Blaugrana goals. But Barça needed a springboard, such as the exclusion of Kristjansson and two missiles from N’Guessan, with which the Catalan team established the first 2 in the afternoon, the first lead of more than one goal (11-13, 12- 14 at 20 minutes).
While Magdeburg clung to the success from Smits’ 7-meter range or Damgaaard’s penetrations, Barça found a new weapon in the impudence of Makuc, who came on for Cindric and scored three goals in a row to maintain the minimal advantage (15-17 , at 27m), while Nielsen contributed two consecutive saves.
Ortega applied selective movements like a surgeon, almost surgical from the bench, but precise and decisive that allowed him to strengthen the solidity of the game and the score.
Only one push was missing, and it was coming to rest when Barça began to accelerate. To the three goals from Makuc and the three saves from Nielsen, Mem was added to put the first 3 (15-18) with 1m30s to go to go to the changing rooms. Ortega’s men began to erode the enormous German resistance, which remained glued thanks to Smits’ penalties (16-18 at halftime).
In this way, Barça reached the fullest half-time, solid behind with 6:0 and the 8 saves from Nielsen -which went into tune-, and resolute in shooting with its wide range of resources, such as N”s missiles Guessan (3) or the breaking speed of Mem (3) or Makuc (3).
After going through the changing rooms, Ortega refreshed the team with the entry of Richardson and Janc on the right wing, and continued to offer the baton to an unleashed Makuc (16-19). But the exclusion of N’Guessan caused a mess, because Magdeburg delivered a 3-0 run, with a goal from Portner from the goal, which restored the tie (21-21) and forced Barça to recover its best version.
Ortega was forced to ask for time with Kristjansson’s 23-22 (40m) score, which finished off a devastating 5-1 run, with which the Magdeburg fans grew at Lanxess and his team grew bigger. Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, Cindric and Mem entered, who suffered a strain on his right calf (41m) and Barça began to tremble. And more with Weber’s 24-22, the first -2 he suffered. To top it off, Aleix Gómez missed a penalty against Portner that could make it 25-24, although Wanne fixed it.
With 14 minutes to go, Barça had withstood the blow and stopped the bleeding. Aleix Gómez restored the tie (25-25) from 7 meters, and Fàbregas from the pivot (26-26), but Magdeburg did not slacken. With 9 minutes to go, Dika Mem returned to the track and, half lame, scored 27-27. It was a battle for survival, blow by blow, until someone bowed the knee in the exchange of blows.
They entered the last 5 minutes with a 29-29 score after crashing the ball into the Smits post. Wanne put Barça ahead again (29-30), for the first time since 20-21 20 minutes ago. He had to defend with his soul to exhaustion. Magdeburg lost the Kristjansson contest (m. 56), who was withdrawn due to a run-in with the Blaugrana defense.
Last four minutes. Gonzalo stopped O’Sullivan, but Barça wasted the attack. 2 minutes later O’Sullivan tied (30-30). Dika Mem was injured again, he was limping, and Ortega was asking for time. Barça attack and goal by Aleix Gómez with 53 seconds to go (30-31). Last German attack with 13 seconds left. Wiegert timeout to prepare the last play. With 5 seconds to go, Smits tied (31-31). Barça took out quickly, Janc shot with 4 seconds on the scoreboard and Damgaard stopped the ball, with his right foot inside the area, but the referees declared the game over, which was going to extra time.
In extra time Nielsen returned to the goal. Damgaard opened the dance and Aleix Gómez did not miss from 7 meters (32-32), but Fàbregas failed before Jensen. Bezjak put Magdeburg ahead twice and O’Sullivan made it 2 (35-33) at the end of the first part of extra time.
Barça needed a miracle. He paid to find it N’Guessan (35-34) and Janc (36-35, 37-36), but he had to stop the German attack, defend to the death. Passive with 2 minutes to go, which were crazy: N’Guessan 37-37, Smits 38-37, N’Guessan 38-38 with 1m15s to go. German attack with 1 minute and one less player. Nielsen stopped Damgaard and the game went to penalties. Crazy.
In the penalty shootout, Aleix Gómez scored (38-39), Wanne missed -Jensen saved him-, Richardson missed shooting wide with the dribble (40-39), Gonzalo stopped Pettersson, Mem missed with a dribble shot against Jensen, missed Saugstrup crashing into the crossbar, and Ludo Fàbregas ended up failing before Jensen, who guessed his intention. So, 40-39. The black beast returned to eat Barça.
