Double winning season

Barça Borges brought success back to the handball section this season, with the Lliga Asobal and Champions League titles crowning a splendid season for Xavi Pascual’s team –a group that brought back memories of the greats of the Club’s history.

The Club’s handball team had not won the double (League and Champions League) since the 1999/2000 season when the Dream Team took seven out of seven trophies on offer. The two titles, together with the Liga dels Pirineus, rounded off a season when the team reached a level of sporting perfection with their own style that made them unique in Spain and in Europe. Barça Borges are back at the forefront of European handball!

Barça Borges 2010/11 took the first title of the season -the Lliga dels Pirineus by beating Granollers with three new faces in the team –Swedish keeper Johan Sjöstrand, Raúl Entrerríos and the Frenchman Cedric Sorhaindo.

Stumbling start

The defeat in the first game against Ciudad Real in the Super Cup served as a useful wake up call to the team and they still looked a bit shell shocked from the defeat in Cologne at the end of last season. Some kind of answer was needed, and needed fast.

That quickly came in La Liga where Barça showed themselves untouchable from the off, chalking up a series of big scores. In Europe though, they opened with a disappointing defeat at the Palau to Rhein-Neckar Löwen and then again at Chambery. However, despite these two slip ups, Xavi Pascual’s team soon began to put good results together, such as the wins at CAI and Sant Antonio and the draw in Kiel.

November proves key

November was a key month for Barça Borges, with three consecutive wins against league rivals Valladolid, Ciudad Real and Ademar) and the win at the Palau against Kiel set up the team for their successful European run.

Unfortunately though, the year ended with Ciudad Real taking their second trophy of the year at Barça’s expense –the Copa ASOBAL.

Following the World Championships in Sweden, at which Barça players won seven medals, the team took up in the league with the same great form they had shown earlier in the season, whilst in Europe they were unlucky to be held in Germany by Rhein Neckar Lowen after a last gasp equaliser. Barça ended up third in their group and were drawn against Veszprem in the first knock out round. They came through that successfully, with the only negative note the injury to Daniel Saric, who was laid up for the next month.

Crunch moment

In the Spanish Cup, Barça Borges failed to make the final after losing by a single goal to Valladolid in semi finals(25-26). Easter saw the key moment of the league and European competitions. Although they missed their first chance to take the domestic title by losing at Ciudad Real, five days later they beat Kiel 33-36 in the Champions League to qualify for the Final Four in Cologne.

Two memorable dates

The win over Naturhouse la Rioja in Logroño on May 14th gave them the league title with two games still to play and then 15 days later they saw off Ciudad Real 27-24 to lift the European crown.