Two derbies were played in the 9th round of the Spanish championships. The visiting sides recorded wins in both matches.
One of the two games was very exciting. Barcelona narrowly defeated Mataro (9:8) and remained in the race for 3rd place in the table. Sabadell, the only unbeaten team in the League, proved too strong for Terrassa – 11:17.
2022/23 Spanish League, Day 9
Mataro – Barcelona 8:9 (1:2, 3:1, 3:4, 1:2)
Mataro: Cuacos 2, Castro 2, De Weerd 1, Daura 1, Scott 1, Andrade 1.
Barcelona: Goma 4, Mallarach 2, Valls 1, Garcia 1, Lopez 1.
Terrassa – Sabadell 7:11 (0:3, 3:2, 2:4, 2:2)
Terrassa: Alarcon 2, De Lera 2, Chico 1, Flores 1, Delgado 1,
Sabadell: Sanahuja 5, Averka 2, Bonet 1, Gil 1, Valera 1, Cabanas 1.
Rubi – Catalunya 18:19 (2:2, 2:4, 3:1, 2:2, PSO 9:10)
Rubi:S.Pina 5, Martins 5, Fenoy 3, I.Pina 3, Carrasco 2.
Catalunya: Lopez-Escribano 5, Santiveri 4, Gomez De La Puente 4, Sousa 2, Diaz 2, Alvarino 1, Gomilla 1.
Tenerife – Barceloneta 8:19 (2:3, 2:4, 1:7, 3:5)
Echeyde Tenerife: Espanol 2, Magrina 2, Mercado 2, Keuning 1, Alegre 1
Barceloneta: Biel 6, Pavillard 3, Tahull 3, Matkovic 2, Biel 2, Bustos 1,Famera 1, De Toro 1.
Caballa – Mediterrani 8:14 (3:4, 2:3, 2:2, 1:5)
Caballa: Molina 3, S. Fernandez 2, Reguera 1, Pardon 1, Caracuel 1.
Mediterrani: Perez 4, Radic 3, Prat 2, Corres 2, Roca 1, McQuiet 1, Garcia 1.
Sant Andreu – Real Canoe 16:6 (4:2, 3;1, 5:0, 4:3)
Sant Andreu: Frigola 4, Villamayor 3, Patchaliev 3, Bargallo 2, Jayden 2, Yanez 2.
Real Canoe: V.Fernandez 2, M.J.Gonzalez 2, Romero 1, Otero 1.
Sabadell extended its winning streak to nine matches. The league leader’s rival in the 9th round was Terrassa. It was a derby, but Sabadell killed all the suspense quickly. The visitors built an opening 3:0 lead, and after that, the difference was never smaller than two goals. Terrassa reduced the gap to two twice (2:4, 3:5). However, Sabadell, led by Bernat Sanahuja, didn’t let the hosts come closer.
Unlike the game in Terrassa, the encounter between Mataro and Barcelona was a real derby. Barcelona arrived in Mataro after two back-to-back losses in important games (to Sabac in the LEN Euro Cup and to Terrassa in the 8th round of the Spanish league). Before the 9th matchday, Mataro had three points more than Barcelona. The hosts took control in the middle of the game. In the 20th minute, they led 7:4. They were on the right track. But, Barcelona managed to produce a big comeback. By the end of the quarter, the visitors leveled at 7:7. Four and a half minutes before the end, center-forward Roger Tahull gave Barcelona an 8:7 lead. Still, a minute after,Castro equalized from a penalty (8:8). But, Barcelona had the last laugh. Two and a half minutes before the buzzer, Robert Lopez converted a man-up, Barcelona gained an 8:7 lead and kept the advantage until the end.
After a victory in Mataro, Barcelona caught up with Mataro and Terrassa in the standings. 1st-placed Sabadell and 2nd-placed Barceloneta are still far away.
Barceloneta cruised to a win over Tenerife.
The winner in the match Rubi – Catalunya was decided only after a long penalty shootout. The score in the regular time was 9:9. The match ended after the 11th round of penalty shots. Catalunya emerged as a winner – 19:18, and Rubi remains at the bottom of the table as the only winless side
Mediterrani convincingly beat Caballa. But, the hosts kept up with Mediterrani for a long. Caballa never took the lead, but chased the rival and trailed by a goal or two most of the time. Before the final period, only two goals separated the rivals (9:7). But, Caballa ran out of gas for the final quarter, Mediterrani netted five goals in a row and jumped to 14:7.
Sant Andreu demolished Real Canoe – 16:6 and made a big step toward the middle of the table.
1.Sabadell 9 – 27
2. Barceloneta 9 – 24
3. Mataro 9 – 18
4.Terrassa 9 – 18
5. Barcelona 9 – 18
6.Mediterrani 9 – 15
7. Tenerife 8 – 15
8.Catalunya 9 – 9
9.Real Canoe 9 – 6
10.Sant Andreu 8 – 6
11.Caballa 9 – 3
12. Rubi 9 – 0
