Two of the best teams in the world, two of the best goalkeepers in the world – this is the recipe for a true thriller, witnessed by the Palau Blaugrana on Thursday.

The Barça fans, who turned out in numbers, gave a rousing standing ovation to Gonzalo Perez de Vargas. The Spanish goalkeeper was key to the Blaugranas’ win, as he recorded 17 saves, while his teammate Dika Mem also played a decisive role in the second half.

GROUP B
MOTW: Barça (ESP) vs Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA) 30:27 (13:13)

• Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Vincent Gerard both saved eight shots in the first half, showing how close Barça and Paris were in the first part of the game
• if the hosts had the best start, quickly leading by three, the visitors were quick to react and even took the lead briefly
• the battle kept going in the second half, but the Barça goalkeeper finally took the upper hand. Perez de Vargas, who was named Player of the Match, recorded 17 saves, helping Barça to finish the game better
• Dika Mem also had an important role, as the left-hander scored six of his seven goals in the last quarter of the game.
• Barça join Kielce and Veszprem on top of group B with eight points, while Paris remain fourth, with five points

Dika Mem, just in time

Dika Mem was leading the scorers’ ranking before the fifth round, but struggled to honour his place in the first period. Scoring only one out of his six shots, it felt like his national teammate Vincent Gerard had shut him off.

When it came to the crunch it looked like the left-hander was completely transformed. He scored six in the last quarter of the game, leading Barça in attack while Gonzalo Perez de Vargas was shutting down access to his goal, securing another win for the hosts.