22.01.2011 19:29

Big step towards Final Eight (5-1)

Sònia de Alba

Barça Sorli Discau won their third win out of three to stay top of their group in the Champions League and took a big step nearer the Final Eight with a resounding 5-1 win over Blanes.

Two goals from Reinaldo García, and one each from Carlos López, Mia Ordeig and Marc Torra saw Barça through to a comfortable win and confirmed their recent good form by taking their third victory on their group and virtually ensuring a spot in the Final Eight, where the top two from each group of four group will meet.

Pressure pays off with Reinaldo goal

Blanes came out looking stronger than they had when they visited the Palau in the OK Liga when Barça put seven past them, and they kept Barça out early on with a disallowed goal from Panadero who was adjudged to have touched the ball with his foot after combining well with Carlos López and Mia Ordeig, the nearest that Barça came to scoring.

That was one of the hosts’ first warning shots and soon only the Blanes keeper Roger Fernandez, who put in a very good performance, and the woodwork were stopping Barça from going ahead.

The opener finally came on 10 minutes when Fernandez was unable to do anything about a Reinaldo García free shot that whizzed past him and the teams went in for the break with the scores at 1-0.

Rotations and more goals

With one eye on the upcoming Continental Cup, Barça began to rotate their players in the second half, with keeper Aitor Egurrola giving way to Sergi Fernández at the break, and continued to ring the changes throughout the half. The win was important to keep the team’s bid for a Final Eight place on track, but they also needed to keep something in reserve for the Continental Cup.

One of the team’s in form players is Reinaldo García, who bagged the second with an individual move that took him into the area to score.

Carlos López, who started the game, got the third three minutes later as Blanes tired and the Barça bench showed its strength in depth and Mig Ordeig made it four a few minutes later.

Torra made it five before Luis Teixidó got one back for the visitors – his strike cheered by the Sang Culé fans, as they had last year.