FC Barcelona v BM Benidorm: Not an easy win (41-25)

FC Barcelona: Saric, V. Tomás (7), Gurbindo (5), Sorhaindo (2), V. Morros (1), Entrerríos (4), Sigurdsson (5) -starting seven- Pérez de Vargas, Noddesbo (2), Sarmiento (3), Rutenka (4), Jallouz (-), Lazarov (5), Saubich (3), O. Rey (-), V. Sáez (2).

BM Benidorm: Moyano, Porras (3), Dídac (4), Esteban (-), Grau (1), Jiménez (6), Cuartero (4) –starting seven- Guzmán, Santamaría (1), Javier Sánchez (1), Torras (-), Rodríguez (-), Jorge Sánchez (6), Llorens (-).  

5 minute periods: 3-4 / 6-5 / 11-6 / 14-10 / 17-12 / 19-15 (descans) 23-17 / 25-19 / 29-12 / 33-23 / 35-25 / 41-25.

Attendance: 1,216

BM Benidorm are in their first ever season in the top flight, but they gave Barça a tough time when they met earlier on in the season, and they were coming to the Palau Blaugrana fresh from beating second placed Naturhouse La Rioja last week, so the home side were well aware what they were up against. This was one of the hardest games Barça’s handball team has faced this season, although ultimately they made sure of maintaining their incredible one hundred per cent record in the domestic league.

The visitors were dynamic in attack and extraordinarily physical in defence in what turned out to be a mightily tough encounter, with the sin bin being occupied on an unusually high number of occasions. Benidorm’s Carlos Grau ended up being sent off after a third yellow card and two consecutive sin-binnings in the first half.

And all of that meant Barça struggled to get into their game, and it wasn’t until half-time that they any kind of a meaningful lead at 19-15. But in the final quarter of an hour, the floodgates started to open and they eventually cruised home by a fourteen goal margin. So that’s 23 wins out of 23 this season, and Barça are one step closer to the league title