Sabadell defeated Barcelona 8:6 in the derby game of the 16th round of the Spanish League, maintaining its perfect record.
The day’s highlight of the round wasn’t the derby, though. The most interesting news is that Real Canoe, ranked 10th, defeated third-placed Terrassa 14:12.
Like Real, Rubi surprised a favorite. Rubi defeated Mataro to earn the first victory in the season. The score was 14:12, the same as in the Madrid game, but Rubi triumphed in a penalty shootout.
2022/23 Spanish League, Day 16
Real Canoe – Terrassa 14:12 (4:2, 4:3, 4:1, 2:6)
Real Canoe: Romero 4, V.Fernandez 2, Gutierrez 2, Otero 2, M.J.Gonzalez 2, Alcon 1, Nuno 1,
Terrassa: Flores 4, Delgado 3, Alarcon 3, Alcaraz 2.
Barcelona – Sabadell 6:8 (1:4, 1:2, 3:2, 1:0)
Barcelona: Valls 2, Frigola 1, G.Garcia 1 Goma 1, Mallarach 1.
Sabadell: Sanahuja 2, Bertran 2, Cabanas 2, Teclas 1, Valera 1.
Barceloneta – Mediterrani 15:5 (2:1, 4:1, 4:2, 5:1)
Barceloneta: Pavillard 3, Munarriz 2,Paul 2, Larumbe 2, Matkovic 1, De Toro 1, Fernandez 1, Tahull 1, Biel 1, Bustos 1.
Mediterrani: A.Garcia 1, Linares 1, Prat 1, Corres 1, Roca 1.
Rubi – Mataro 14:12 (5:3, 1:3, 4:2, 0:2, PSO 4:2)
Rubi:Martins 4, Mejias 3, Kuznetsov 3, Carrasco 2, Pina 1, Moyano 1.
Mataro: Andrade 4, Cuacos 2, De Weerd 2, Daura 2, Schoefield 1, Campos 1.
Tenerife – Sant Andreu 10:9 (3:2, 3:3, 2:3, 2:1)
Tenerife: Alegre 3, Magrina 2, Keuning 2, Gene 2, Diaz 1.
Sant Andreu: Patchaliev 3, Bargallo 3, Tenorio 1, Montes 1,Yanez 1.
Catalunya – Caballa 12:7 (5:2, 4:0, 1:3, 2:2)
Catalunya: Lopez-Escribano 4, Santiveri 2, Arino 2, Alvarino 2, Gomila 1, Quinn 1.
Caballa: Matoso 4, Leona 2, Gomez 1.
Terrassa arrived in Madrid for the match against Real as the big favorite. However, the home team dictated the pace and, moreover, dominated in the first three quarters, which was enough for the win. In the middle of the first period, Terrassa had a slim advantage, but Real led 4:2 at the first break. The hosts controlled the match in the following two periods. In the 21st minute, Real earned a 12:5. Real maintained a 7-goal difference until 14:7. Terrassa netted five unanswered goals in the last five minutes and reduced the gap. The game in Madrid was a bad rehearsal for Terrassa before the LEN Challenger Cup semifinals against Turkish Enka.
The derby of the round, Barcelona – Sabadell, didn’t produce excitement. Sabadell earned a huge advantage in the first half and didn’t let Barcelona come back. Sabadell, the visiting team in this game, ruled the field in the first half and had a 5-goal lead (6:1). Mallarach beat the buzzer, scoring for 2:6 in the last second of the first half to boost the hosts’ hopes. Midway through the third period, Barcelona came closer (3:6). However, Sabadell controlled the game. In the 23rd minute, the visitors regained a 5-goal advantage (8:3). Barcelona scored the last three goals in the game, but didn’t endanger Sabadell’s victory.
Rubi water polo players moved from the “ground zero” when few expected their win. They beat 5th-placed Mataro in a penalty shootout. Rubi was very close to a victory in the regular time. Rubi started excellently. In the sixth minute, it led 5:1. There were a lot of twists and turns in the middle two quarters, but Rubi had a 10:8 lead before the final quarter. However, the hosts couldn’t find the net in the final eight minutes. Mataro leveled at 10:10 and prolonged the match in the shootout. Rubi emerged as the winner in the big drama with a 14:12 victory.
Tenerife defeated Sant Andreu narrowly in an even contest. The sides were tied at 8:8 before the final quarter. Tenerife went ahead early in the fourth period (9:8). Sant Andreu leveled immediately. Still, Tenerife’s Victor Alegre closed the match with a goal from a penalty shot in the 31st minute for the final score of 10:9.
Barceloneta cruised to a 15:5 win over Mediterrani. Catalunya beat Caballa 12:7. The first half, in which Catalunya scored nine and conceded two goals, was decisive.
1.Sabadell 15 games – 15 wins
2. Barceloneta 15 – 14
3. Terrassa 16 – 11
4. Barcelona 16 – 11
5. Mataro 16 – 9
6.Tenerife 16 – 9
7. Mediterrani 16 – 8
8. Sant Andreu 16 – 6
9. Catalunya 16 – 5
10. Real Canoe 15 – 3
11. Rubi 15 – 1
12. Caballa 14 – 1
