FCBARCELONA.CAT

10.05.2009 20:31

League title stays at Ciudad Real (37-26)

Verònica Díez

Barcelona were unable to beat Ciudad Real, who are now Sabadell Atlántico Asobal League champions for the third year in a row. Abaló, Rutenka and Sterbik all starred in the game.

Ciudad Real came out all guns blazing. Their defensive wall on the 6 metre line and very effective attack had virtually wrapped the game up by halftime at 20-12. Not much changed in the second half and Víctor Tomàs’s efforts weren’t enough to turn it around.

The home side didn’t let Barça play their natural game and virtually nullified the Catalans’ counterattacks. Nonetheless the Barcelona Borges players never threw in the towel and kept trying right up until the end.

Abaló and Rutenka get the goals

Barça and Ciudad Real both came out strongly and the game was evenly balanced over the first ten minutes. It was then that Rolando Uríos kicked off the home side’s domination when he made it 8-6. But it was Abaló, with eight goals, Rutenka, with nine, who really made the difference, racking up 17 of their side’s 20 first half goals between them.

The home side’s 6-0 defence was nigh on impregnable for Pascual’s men who had to resort to exterior shots to reach Sterbik’s goal. Despite their best efforts, the Catalans didn’t get the same results as the home side and the halftime stats told the story. Ciudad Real scored from 20 of their 28 goals attempts, while Barcelona only found the net 12 times out of 24.

No change

The second half was much like the first. Abaló, Rutenka and Sterbik remained outstanding though their teammates also made a major contribution. Only Víctor Tomàs, the Catalans’ top scorer, managed to get Barça back in with a shout with three unanswered strikes to make it 26-20 in the 43rd minute, but then Ciudad Real finished off the game with a series of goals.

With ten minutes to go, the gap stood at 32-20. The Catalans didn’t throw in the towel but with the Quijote Arena packed to the rafters and the home side playing superbly, there was little they could do to turn the game around.