There were no surprises in the semifinals of the Spanish Men’s Cup (Copa del Rey) in Sabadell.
Two Champions League clubs, Barceloneta and Sabadell, will play in the final game.
Barceloneta defeated Barcelona 16:8, and Sabadell beat Mataro (12:5) in today’s semifinals.
Barceloneta has won 18 trophies in the Spanish Cup that was established in 1987. Sabadell will chase its fourth trophy in tomorrow’s final.
Sabadell hasn’t won the Copa del Rey since 2012, when it defeated Barceloneta narrowly (11:10). In the following year, Barceloneta’s domination started. Last season, Barceloneta won its 10th consecutive trophy, beating Sabadell in the final match (12:5).
The previous encounter between Barceloneta and Sabadell was a league match in November. Sabadell surprised the Spanish champion with an 11:8 victory. It was Barceloneta’s first loss in the national championships after more than five years.
2022/23 Spanish Men’s Cup, Semifinals
Barceloneta – Barcelona 16:8 (4:1, 3:1, 4:5, 5:1)
Barceloneta: Matkovic 3, Perrone 3, Famera 2, Tahull 2, Biel 2, Munarriz 1,Pavillard 1, Paul 1, Bustos 1.
Barcelona: Asensio 4, Valls 3, O.Aguirre 1.
Barceloneta’s explosive start set the tone of the match. Barcelona scored the first goal, already in the 2nd minute. However, shortly after, Barceloneta started proving which team the favorite was. The title holder built a 7:2 lead by the middle break. The team coached by Elvis Fatovic continued in the same rhythm in the second half.
Early in the third period, Biel stretched the margin to six (8:2). Barcelona started finding solutions to outsmart Barceloneta’s defense in the following minutes. Still, it didn’t come close to the rival. In the fourth quarter, Barceloneta dominated for a convincing victory.
Mataro – Sabadell 5:12 (1:3, 1:0, 2:5, 1:4)
Mataro: Daura 3, Campos 1, Flaque 1.
Sabadell: Sanahuja 3, Averka 2, Bonet 2, Gil 1, Valera 1, Bertran 1, Cabanas 1, D.Banicevic 1 .
A good defensive play was the key to Sabadell’s victory over Mataro. The hosts’ attack wasn’t on a high level in the first half. However, Sabadell’s strong defense kept Mataro from taking the lead.
In the 18th minute, Sabadell regained a 2-goal advantage after Sabadell’s Daura hit the back of the net for 4:2. Mataro halved the deficit twice (3:4 and 4:5). After Mataro’s third goal, Sabadell took firm control and scored three goals in the last three minutes of this period (8:4). Kanstantin Averka made it 9:4 in the early stage of the fourth period and it was clear that Mataro couldn’t surprise the favorite.
