17.03.2008, 11:19
Barcelona: home defeat after 11 years

Szeged did what Celje did in 1997: the Hungarians have beaten Barcelona in the Palau Blau Grana.

Barcelona: home defeat after 11 years

Pick Szeged won in Barcelona, and this victory has “only” historic importance. Barcelona did not lose a Champions League game in the Palau Blau Grana for 11 years. In 1997, Celje defeated Barcelona by 22-26 and this weekend it happened again.

The Catalonians were already qualified for the semi-finals; accordingly, Pick did not have a chance for that.

Luka Zvizej, former Barcelona player, was the key player of the game. The Slovenian winger scored nine goals on his return to Palau and he showed that he is among the top players on his position. His teammate, Andjelkovic, scored 10 goals Szeged earned the victory with a good performance from the two players. The Hungarians took gained some advantage in the first half and they did not lose it until the very end.

Spanish coach, Manuel Cadenas, said already before the match that he would make different changes in their usual playing systems. The Swedish Jonas Lardholm played more that usual on the wing. He showed a good performance scoring four goals. Nenadic, Lozano and Xepkin also had more time on court this time. As all these modifications did not work out perfectly, Barcelona lost some balls in attack.

The Serbian goalkeeper of Szeged, Marjanac, had a really good match and gave a lot of confidence for the defence of the guests. The Spanish players were unable to break it through and the Hungarians had many fast breaks too. Barcelona tried to avoid the historic defeat in the second half, but it was not possible.

The motivation of the Cadenas team was not enough after having qualified for the semis and Szeged closed this Main Round with a beautiful triumph.

TEXT: Fernando Urra Goñi