Most of the favorites did a clean job in the quarterfinals of the men’s Copa Catalunya, the traditional tournament in which Catalan clubs test their shape before the start of the national championship and LEN cups.
Barceloneta, Barcelona, Mediterrani, and Sabadell advanced to the Final Four. Only Mediterrani didn’t have an easy task. Mediterrani played against Terrassa. Both quarterfinal matches ended in a draw, and the penalty shootout in the 2nd leg decided the winner.
The Final Four will be held next weekend in the Montjuic pool. The semifinal pairs: Barceloneta – Mediterrani, Barcelona – Sabadell.
2022 Men’s Copa Catalunya, Quarterfinals
Barceloneta – Mataro 14:5 (4:2, 1:0, 5:2, 4:1)
Barceloneta: Tahull 4, Perrone 3, Paul 3, De Toro 2, Famera 1, Biel 1.
Mataro: Daura 2, Blanch 1, Andrade 1, De Weerd 1.
Mataro – Barceloneta 6:15 (1:2, 1:5, 2:5, 2:3)
Mataro: Cuacos 2, Daura 1, Flaque 1, Andrade 1, Rodriguez 1.
Barceloneta: Tahull 3,Munarriz 3, De Toro 2, Matkovic 2, Famera 1, Larumbe 1, Fernandez 1, Paul 1, Biel 1.
The biggest favorite for all trophies in Spain, Barceloneta, easily beat Mataro in both matches. Roger Tahull, a returnee from Barcelona, was the best scorer of the double encounter. He netted four goals in the first game, and contributed to the second victory with three goals. Dusan Matkovic debuted for Barceloneta, scoring two goals in the second game.
Mediterrani – Terrassa 10:10 (3:1, 1:4, 3:3, 3:2)
Mediterrani:Corres 5, Prat 2, A.Garcia 1, Linares 1, Roca 1.
Terrassa: Delgado 3, Flores 3, De Lera 2,Alarcon 1, Diaz 1
Terrassa – Mediterrani 20:21 (1:3, 3:3, 3:4, 4:1, PSO 9:10)
Terrassa: Alarcon 5, Delgado 5, Chico 3, Flores 3, Chico 3, De Lera 2, Sanchez 1, Diaz 1.
Mediterrani: A. Garcia 4, Prat 4, Roca 3, Perez 2, McQuiet 2, Corres 2, Radic 1, Linares 1, Estevez 1, Pueyo 1.
Both encounters between Mediterrani and Terrassa produced twists and turns. After a 10:10 first match, Mediterrani dictated the pace for most of the return leg. The visitors had a 10:7 lead before the final eight minutes. Terrassa netted three straight goals in the fourth quarter and leveled at 10:10. Radic gave Mediterrani an 11:10 lead, but Terrassa’s Alarcon found the net just five seconds before the end, and the match entered the shootout. Mediterrani recorded victory after 10 rounds of penalty shots.
Barcelona – Catalunya 11:6 (2:1, 5:1, 2:1, 2:3)
Barcelona: Valls 4, Asensio 2, Mallarach 2, Aguirre 2, G.garcia 1,
Catalunya: Quinn 1, Cukrov 1, S.Gonzalez 1, Sousa 1, Lopez-Escribano 1.
Catalunya – Barcelona 7:13 (2:3, 2:4, 1:2, 2:4)
Catalunya: Gomilla 2, S.Gonzalez 2, Diaz 1, Santiveri 1, Lopez-Escribano 1.
Barcelona: Ramon 3, Mallarach 3, Lopez 2, Putt 2, Vavic 1, Valls 1, G.Garcia 1.
Barcelona and Catalunya were both European champions, but, today, there is a significant difference in quality between these two teams. Barcelona was a far better rival than Catalunya in both matches.
Sabadell – Sant Andreu 16:10 (7:5, 3:2, 4:3, 2:0)
Sabadell: Cabanas 5, Averka 3, Valera 2, Sanahuja 2, Veich 1, D.Banicevic 1, Blasco 1, Bustos Sanchez 1
Sant Andreu: Jayden 3, Chmyr 3, Tenorio 2, Arizaga 1, Frigola 1.
Sant Andreu – Sabadell 6:15 (2:5, 1:1, 0:6, 3:3)
Sant Andreu: Arizaga 2, Frigola 1, Jayden 1, Montes 1, Bargallo 1.
Sabadell: Sanahuja 5, Averka 4, Valera 2, Cabanas 2, Bertran 2.
Sabadell’s attack was perfect in the first half of the first match. The LEN Euro Cup winner had a 10:7 advantage at halftime. After the middle break, Sabadell consolidated its defense and doubled the advantage. At the beginning of the second match, Sabadell proved that it was too strong for Sant Andreu, while it demolished the rival in the third quarter.
