FC Barcelona v Frigoríficos Morrazo: Karabatic and Rutenka make the difference (33-21)

FC Barcelona v Frigoríficos Morrazo: Karabatic and Rutenka make the difference (33-21)

The game started poorly, but some brilliant second half defending was the key to the win Karabatic and Rutenka led the FCB scoring with seven each Barça are now 9-0 in the Liga Asobal

Barça’s first game after the international break was a fine all-round performance. Frigoríficos Morrazo were still drawing after 16 minutes, but the entrance of Karabatic and Víctor changed the game.

Rutenka saves sloppy start

All Barça’s first three goals were scored by Rutenka, but they took six minutes in coming and in the first quarter of an hour, things just weren’t happening, with Barça only leading 6-5 against a theoretically inferior rival. Pascual reacted by sending on Lazarov, Karabatic, Víctor Tomás and Juanín García, and the whole face of the Barça team changed. The Frenchman scored with his first touch of the ball, and a 4-0 streak finally built up the first major lead at 11-7, and the first half ended with Rutenka back on court and a scoreline of 15-10.

Twenty minute shutout

The second half started with a 3-4, and the visitors were still well in contention before period in which the Barça defence was simply staggering. Frigoríficos Morrazo went a whole eight minutes without scoring, while Barcelona got six in that time, and from 18-14 it was now 24-14 and the game looked as good as decided.

But the visitors responded with a 0-4 streak of their own. Suddenly they were back in it, but it didn’t last. Nikola Karabatic scored three in a row and the gap once again widened into double figures, and from then on it was just a matter of playing down the clock to the final scoreline of 33-21.

Chance for Ignasi Biosca

Arpad Sterbik missed the game with a knee injury, and with Barcelona so far ahead towards the end, Xavi Pascual replaced Daniel Saric with Ignasi Biosca, although this was not actually the young keeper’s first team debut. He played once before on October 27, 2012 away to BM Huesca.

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