The Spanish sides performed well during the group stage and won their respective groups. This weekend there was not much at stake for them and only Ademar lost in Skopje.
Spanish weekend: Barcelona and Portland win, Ademar lose
The last round was not decisive for the Spanish teams. Portland won and finish first in their group just as Barcelona who won in France. Though Ademar lost in Switzerland, it does not change the group table at all.
Barcelona win against Ivry in France 27-29
The team of Cadenas did show a good team play, but they were able to save the two points in the last minutes. Luc Abalo was the best player of Ivry with 6 goals, but he was not enough to beat Barcelona. Rocas, Romero and Nodesbo played well in the second half. Their goals were really important to take control over the match. The French defence was really good, but they could not keep the same level during the entire match.
Portland take two points from Presov, 29-35
Portland won in Slovakia against Tatan Presov and they held onto the top of the table. The Spanish needed the victory to secure the first position and they were better than Presov in the second half. Coach Cabanas could not be satisfied at the beginning and Presov took the lead. However, the Spanish defence improved after halftime and defeated the Slovak team with fast breaks. Vugrinec and Ruesga scored important goals for the victory too.
Leon lose in Skopje. 29-28
Ademar Leon were the only Spanish side to lose this weekend. They played against Vardar in FYR Macedonia, but the defeat was not important for the Spanish side that secured the first place already.
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Fernando Urra Goñi