Barceloneta continued its domination in the Spanish League.
Barceloneta won its 16th consecutive title of the Spanish champion after beating Barcelona in the first two matches of the final (best-of-three). Barceloneta defeated Barcelona (12:4) in the first game, played on Saturday. Today, the reigning champion recorded a 12:7 win in Barcelona’s pool.
Barceloneta and Barcelona faced off five times this season. Barceloneta achieved four wins (two in the playoffs, one in the regular season – 15:4 and one in the Spanish Cup final – 9:3), while one game in the regular season was ended in a draw (9:9)
2020/21 Spanish League, playoffs, final (best-of-three)
First game
Barceloneta – Barcelona 12:4 (3:0, 0:2, 6:2, 3:0)
Barceloneta: Granados 3, Munarriz 3, Bodegas 2, Larumbe 1, De Toro 1, Perrone 1
Barcelona: Flores 1, Duric 1, Delgado 1, Tahull 1.
Barceloneta opened the first game with a 3:0 lead. Still, Barcelona water polo players regrouped themselves during the first break, and reduced the gap to one (2:3), before the middle break. However, Barceloneta retook control in the second period, it scored four unanswered goals and jumped to a 7:2 lead. After that, the visitors couldn’t come back.
Second game
Barcelona – Barceloneta 7:12 (2:1, 2:4, 2:5, 1:2)
Barcelona: Delgado 3, Van den Burg 1, Flores 1, Estrany 1, Tahull 1.
Barceloneta: Granados 6, Munarriz 3, Larumbe 1, Bustos 1, Bodegas 1.
The second match offered more excitement, Barcelona kept up with the favorites for more than two quarters. But, the reigning champion recorded a convincing win. The man who made the difference was Alvaro Granados, who scored six goals. Some these six goals came in the crucial moments – when Barcelona was trying to come back.
The first quarter belonged to Barcelona (2:1), but Barcelona had a 5:4 advantage at halftime. In the opening minutes of the second half, Barcelona equalized twice (5:5 and 6:6), but after each of the two hosts’ goals, Granados responded immediately and put his team in front. Granados found the net for 7:6 in the 20th minute. After that, Barceloneta added three goals in a row. The visitors built a 10:6 lead before the last break and that was vital for the outcome.
Barcelona is a record-holder of the Spanish Championships with 59 titles but it hasn’t won the league since 2005. After that, Barceloneta’s domination started.
All champions (1912 – 2021)– 59 titles: Barcelona, 21: Barceloneta, 8: Montjuic, 7: Catalunya, 2: Real Canoe.
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