Barça clear at the top with confident Flensburg win

With a temporary place at the top of group A on the line, Barça produced an impressive away performance to dominate their hosts and claim their fifth straight win in the VELUX EHF Champions League.

• thanks to this victory, Barça take the lead of group A with 10 points
• Flensburg lost eight balls in the first half of the game alone
• three players scored five times: Michal Jurecki for Flensburg, Dika Mem and Aron Palmarsson for the guests

GROUP A
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Barça (ESP) 27:34 (12:18)

Despite playing at home, Flensburg made the worst possible start in the game, as they turned the ball over three times in the first five minutes.

The visitors were quick to punish them and, on a fast break, Victor Tomas put them up by four after five minutes (5:1).

The wind blew Flensburg’s way for ten minutes after that, allowing the German side to even make the score even at some point, but Maik Machulla’s players proved to be too clumsy to keep going. Turnover after turnover, they gave Barcelona the opportunities to widen the gap again. Jure Dolenec gave the visitors their first five-goal advantage in the 23rd minute, while Flensburg only scored once in a seven-minute spell. Thanks to a last-second goal by Luka Cindric, the visitors were ahead by six at half-time.

Flensburg tightened their defence at the beginning of the second, without managing to close the gap. Even though Jim Gottfridsson and Goeran Johannessen found the net, Barcelona were making the most of every opportunity to keep their cushion.

With Gonzalo Perez de Vargas was on fire between the posts, the lead even grew further as Aron Palmarsson gave the Spanish side their first seven-goal advantage twelve minutes before the end. From then on, it was certain the guests would bring the two points home and go clear at the top of their group for a few days at least.