Barça record ninth consecutive win

Barça Lassa had won eight consecutive matches in the VELUX EHF Champions League prior to their match with Meshkov Brest, and the Spanish champions convincingly made it nine in a row with a supreme attacking performance against their Belarussian counterparts to maintain a secure grip on first place in Group A.

• Victor Tomas and Timothey N’guessan were joint top scorers for Barça with six goals

• Sime Ivic scored seven for Brest

• Meshkov Brest are on an eight-game winless streak

GROUP A

Barça Lassa (ESP) vs HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) 41:32 (22:17)

Barça Lassa strengthened their grip on the top spot in Group A after a nine-goal victory (41:32) over HC Meshkov Brest. The Spanish side became the first team this season to win nine games in a row.

Both teams had a strong focus on attack as they scored a combined 39 goals in the first half. At half-time, Barça had a five-goal advantage as they led 22:17.

The Belarussian side tried to force their way back into the match, but after Barça scored the first three goals after the break, they could not avoid their eight loss in a row.

The Blaugrana scored over 40 goals for the second consecutive match in the VELUX EHF Champions League, after beating PGE Vive Kielce 42:36 in Round 9. Earlier in the season, they had scored 44 goals against IFK Kristianstad and they have scored over 35 goals per game on average this season.

Barça retain their five-point advantage at the top of the group, while Meshkov Brest are in a tight battle at the other end of the group with five points as they try to fight their way into the Last 16.

Manolo Cadenas praised his opponents' form across all competitions, “Congratulations to Barça Lassa, because they played very well during all the Champions League, even the Asobal League”.

“They started in a level that was impossible to follow for us. After that, we tried came back to the match, but it was impossible. Barça have power, they had a lot of players in all the positions, and they deserved the victory”.

“I’m very proud of my team." Xavi Pascual exclaimed. "It’s not easy to play against Meshkov Brest, because they always play with a lot of rhythm.

“We are playing during all the season in a good level, our defense is okay, we can run a lot, and in addition, in attack, we find a lot of solutions. To think that we have five points of advantage to Vardar is amazing."

Petar Djordic of Meshkov was proud of his side's efforts, “Barça played a very good match, with an excellent start. After the first half it was very difficult to come back to the game. We tried to show character and we played some good minutes. We have potential and we have to show that in the next games."