Within a whisker of league title

Within a whisker of league title

Barça came frustratingly close to winning the Asobal League this year. Defeat to Ciudad Real in the second to last game left Barça with no options, but up until that moment, the title was there for the taking.

Four defeats and a draw meant FC Barcelona missed out of the league championship. The handball team was in it till the end and kept fighting even though the most difficult times. Barça had signed no fewer than eight new players, and had a new coach in Manolo Cadenas. The adaptation process took time, but by the second half of the season, Barça were on flying form.

Big wins but a disappointing defeat

Barça started the season by thrashing Teucro at the Palau (41-31). The same thing happened at Eibar. Arrate was intimidated by an FC Barcelona team that was hungry for goals and went down at home by a humiliating 18-35.

When the going was so good, the first defeat was suffered. In game four Barça were beaten away to CAI Aragó (37-33). That lost them the lead in the Asobal, which was handed to Ciudad Real. And more disappointment came three week later against Cadenas’ former club Ademar Leon, who managed to sneak a draw at the Palau (25-25). The Catalan side couldn’t afford to drop any more points, because the league leaders were threatening to run away with it. By game seven Ciudad Real were three points ahead of FC Barcelona, but the next week there was good news for Barça, as Ciudad Real lost to Ademar 29-25, and the gap was narrowed to just one.

Bittersweet new year

After a draw with Leon, FC Barcelona won four in a row, against Antequera (26-30), Octavio Pilotes Posada (37-28), Torrevieja (26-33) and Keymare Almería (31-29).

The year ended with two crunch matches with Portland San Antonio and Ciudad Real. Against the Basques, they lost their second game of the season, due to a last minute goal by Malmagro (27-26). Things were more difficult now, as Leon had moved back into a three point lead.

Two weeks later and it was time for Ciudad Real at the Palau and Barça won 27-26, meaning they were now just one point behind. This was a massive win for Barça, and their best handball had yet to come in the second half of the season.

Good start to the season

FC Barcelona started 2008 on a good footing, with seven wins in a row, showing that they meant business in the Asobal and were also enjoying some solid form. But the trip to Ademar was always going to a tricky obstacle, and Barça lost a key game (25-24). A week later though, Ademar managed a draw with Ciudad Real, and that helped matters, because Barça were now just one win adrift of the side coached by Talan Dusjebaiev.

History repeating

Manolo Cadenas’ side reacted to that defeat, knowing that they were running out of second chances, and went on a 6-0 winning streak, including a crucial victory at home to Portland San Antonio by 39-34.

Two weeks later the league was decided at the Quijote Arena. Barça fought to the end, and the efforts produced an injury in Rubén Garabaya and Demetrio Lozano was sent off towards the end of the match. As expected, nothing was decided until the final minutes, when the side from la Mancha finally won through 29-25 to mathematically secure the league title.