Joy of victory marred by Sterbik injury

FC Barcelona’s form in the competition so far has led many to believe that they are the favourites to go all the way to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 on 31 May/1 June. 

In their most recent performance, the Catalans beat star-studded PSG Handball in a perfect performance. The players of Xavi Pascual, only need the first half to achieve the victory against the French, taking an unassailable 19:9 lead into the break. 

This game had one of the best supported in Palau Blaugrana. 6,702 people came to Barça’s home to watch one of the best handball pairings in the world.

The attendance beat that of the Last 16 game against Montpellier in 2012 (6,677) and last season in the quarter-final against Atletico Madrid (6,521).

“Today is one of the days that I am very proud of my team, my club, and very proud of today’s Palau Blaugrana. 

“It is not easy that practically 7,000 people come to watch a handball match here and I am so satisfied,” Barcelona’s coach, Xavi Pascual, said in the press conference. 

Pascual was very happy with the performance, especially in the first half: “We played extraordinary handball. We began the match losing 1:3, but the team never doubted what it had to do. I am looking forward to watching the match again, because it was amazing. I expected more balance between two teams but what we did in the first half was amazing”.

Barcelona’s captain Victor Tomas celebrated his 29th birthday on Saturday with a very important victory and 10 goals, his personal best this season. 

“Barça and PSG are two of the favourites to reach the FINAL4 in Cologne. But there are more candidates such as Kiel, Hamburg, Veszprem and Kielce, all of who are having a very good season. 

“The journey is long, but we are on the right track to win this competition and that makes all of us very excited,” admitted the right wing, who was also keen to thank the supporters. 

“It was amazing! Our supporters helped us a lot. We always say that when Palau Blaugrana is like today, it is easier to play well and win,” said Tomas.

Injury blow

Despite the joy felt by the great performance and important victory, there was a downside on Barça's momentous day. 

Goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik, who was producing a near-perfect display, suffered a knee injury early in the second half. 

On Monday, Sterbik underwent surgery on meniscus in his right knee and will be out three months, giving him a chance of being fit just before Cologne, should last season’s beaten finalists get there. 

Meanwhile, Barça will search for a substitute for Sterbik. However, their search will be refined to players who have not competed in the VELUX EHF Champions League already this season, which makes it a tricky task for the side who comfortably won their group.