Barça made their Club World Championship debut count with a resounding 22–41 victory over Brazilian side Handebol Taubaté. Carlos Ortega’s side imposed their quality and squad depth, led by a stellar Barrufet in attack and a decisive Hallgrimsson between the posts.

Strong start

The match began with some ups and downs for the blaugrana, imprecise in attack and allowing Taubaté to edge ahead. Gradually, however, Barça found their rhythm: Hallgrimsson’s assured goalkeeping gave confidence, while Mem and Makuc began to open gaps in the Brazilian defence.

The standout performer was Ian Barrufet, who scored eight goals and was flawless from the seven-metre line, spearheading the Catalans’ attack. With greater defensive solidity and taking advantage of the opponent’s exclusions, they sped up their transitions and built a clear lead before the break (11–20).

Unstoppable

The second half followed the same pattern, with Barça in full control. Hallgrimsson remained decisive in goal and Barrufet ruthless in attack, finishing with 13 goals, as Ortega was able to give minutes to less regular players. Sola, accurate from the wing, the Cikusa brothers and ElDeraa also made their mark.

The hosts faded as Barça kept running, extending their advantage without losing intensity. In the end, the Catalans cruised to an emphatic 22–41 win in a comfortable Club World Championship opener.

MATCH STATS

HANDEBOL TAUBATÉ, 22
BARÇA, 41

Handebol Taubaté: Matheus de Souza Albuquerque, Gustavo Andade Da Silva, Washigton Luis Silva Santos, Guilherme Miguel Laranjeiro Torriani, Guilherme Guimaraes Santana Peixoto, Gabriel dos Santos da Rosa, Lucas Mendes Santos De Souza, Victor Rodriguez de Menezes, Vinicius Perin, Kelvin De Oliveira Barros, Pedro Sosa Saitx, Italo de Souza Miranda, Gerardo Gorriti Arza

Barça: Hallgrimsson, Aleix, Mem, Fàbregas, Carlsbogard, Frade, Barrufet, Djordje Cikusa, Adrian Sola, Oscar Grau, Antonio Bazan, Domen Makuc, Seif Elderaa, Petar Cikusa

Periods: 2-1, 4-4, 6-9, 7-13, 10-17, 11-20 // 13-23, 14-26, 18-30, 21-34, 22-36, 22-41

Referees: Horacek Vaclav, Novotny Jiri 

Força Barça