Barceloneta, Barcelona, Sabadell and Mataro will play in the semifinals of the Spanish Men’s Cup tomorrow.
The Final Eight started in Sabadell today.
Considering the standings in the Spanish League, the derby of the quarterfinals was an encounter between Barceloneta and Terrassa. However, this match wasn’t very exciting. Barceloneta beat Terrassa – 13:6
The host and the league-leader Sabadell recorded a 7-goal win as well as Barceloneta, defeating Tenerife (12:5)
The other two quarterfinals were exciting. Barcelona secured a 12:10 win over Mediterrani after a big battle.
Mataro beat Sant Andreu (12:10). In the middle of the fourth quarter, the sides were tied at 10:10. Mataro scored the last two goals in the match and earned a semifinal berth.
Tomorrow, Barceloneta will face Barcelona in the first semifinal game. Sabadell will play against Mataro.
2022/23 Spanish Men’s Cup, Quarterfinals
Barceloneta – Terrassa 13:6 (1:1, 6:1, 3:2, 3:2)
Barceloneta: Biel 3, Tahull 2, Perrone 2, De Toro 2, Munarriz 1, Pavillard 1, Bustos 1., Larumbe 1..
Terrassa: Delgado 2, De Lera 2, Flores 1, Wilson 1.
A balanced defensive battle in the first quarter indicated that the duel between Barceloneta and Terrassa would be exciting. There were no goals until the 6th minute when Barceloneta’s center-forward Roger Tahull opened the scoring. However, Adria Delgado equalized immediately. But Barceloneta dominated in the second quarter. The reigning champion scored three goals in a row (Pavillard and Perrone 2) – 4:1. De Lera broke Barceloneta’s series (2:4), but not for long. Until the end of the first half, Barceloneta water polo players produced a 3:0 series and jumped to a 7:2 lead. In the second half, they increased the margin to seven.
Mediterrani – Barcelona 10:12 (2:3, 2:3, 4:2, 2:4)
Mediterrani: Estevez 2, Radic 2, A.Garcia 2, Prat 1, Corres 1, McQuet 1, Zaan 1.
Barcelona: Valls 3, G.Garcia 3, Ramon 2, Frigola 1, Cupido 1, Goma 1, Mallarach 1.
Barceloneta led for most of the duel with Mediterrani. The team in white caps that entered the match as an underdog was never ahead, but it successfully chased Barcelona. Mediterrani leveled at 1:1, 3:3, 4:4. Barcelona built a 7:4 lead early in the third period. Still, Mediterrani had a strong response. It produced a 3:0 series. Two minutes and 15 seconds before the last break, Mediterrani’s Mason Darwin MecQuiet converted a penalty shot to level at 7:7. In the following few minutes, the teams exchanged goals until 9:9. In the middle of the fourth period, Barcelona retook control, it scored three goals in a row. Valls made it 12:9 with 58 seconds left on the clock. After that, Mediterrani scored a consolation goal.
Sant Andreu – Mataro 10:12 (0:4, 4:3, 4:3, 2:2)
Sant Andreu: Bargallo 4, Arizaga 1, Patchaliev 1, Tenorio 1, Montes 1, Frigola 1, Yanez 1.
Mataro: Daura 5, Flaque 2, Cuacos 2, Andrade 1, Schofield 1, De Weerd 1.
The match Sant Andreu – Mataro produced the same score as the encounter between Barcelona and Mediterrani. The winner was decided in the final minutes. However, the storyline was different. Mataro had an explosive start. After a 4:0 first quarter, it seemed that Mataro would cruise to a win. But, Sant Andreu water polo players regrouped themselves during the first break and started coming back. In the third quarter, Sant Andreu came very close to the rival (7:8 and 8:9). Still, Mataro had a 10:8 advantage before the final quarter. Sant Andreu netted two goals in the first three minutes of the fourth period and caught up with Mataro in the 27th minute (10:10). But it didn’t go further. Mataro scored the last two goals in the match Tom de Weerd set the final score in the 31st minute – 12:10.
Sabadell – Tenerife 12:5 (2:1, 2:1, 5:1, 3:2)
Sabadell: Sanahuja 4, Valera 2, Cabanas 2, Averka 1, Bustos 1, Gil 1, Bertran 1.
Tenerife: Alegre 1, Molthen 1, Keuning 1, Mercado 1, Salvador 1.
Sabadell needed some time to find its rhythm. Tenerife took an opening 1:0 lead. Sabadell’s Bernat Sanahuja replied with two goals and the home side entered the second quarter leading 2:1. The hosts doubled their advantage in the second period (3:1, 4:2). After the middle break, the hosts flew, they produced a 7:1 run. Midway through the fourth quarter, Sabadell had an 11:3 lead and maintained the difference until the end.
