Barça had the upper hand throughout the first half, taking an advantage as clear as five goals after 20 minutes, on the back of a very strong defensive performance. For most of the match, Barça seemed to be in control, with Emil Nielsen making important saves to keep the Blaugrañas ahead.
But Aalborg gave a final push in the last quarter, giving themselves the opportunity to turn the game around — and they did, with Thomas Arnoldsen scoring an equaliser within the last 90 seconds to send the game into overtime.
Barça’s experience prevailed, as their defence pushed them to lead by three after the first five minutes of overtime and ultimately led to the Spanish side securing another appearance in the final.
SEMI-FINAL
H2H: 1-0-14
Top scorers: Alexandre Blonz 5/7; Thomas Arnoldsen 5/10 (Aalborg Håndbold); Aleix Gómez 8/9 (Barça)
- fuelled by their fast breaks and defensive efficiency, Barça took the upper hand early on, enjoying a four-goal advantage within the first 15 minutes, in which wing Aleix Gómez netted four times
- after struggling to identify the right setup, Aalborg finally found some defensive solutions in Vetle Rønningen and Felix Möller, allowing the Danish side to come back within two in minute 26
- with Timothey N’Guessan and Dika Mem scoring twice each in the last minutes before the break, Barça still went back to the dressing room leading by four
- as the game entered its last quarter, Aalborg threw all their forces into the battle and the score line swung from three to one multiple times
- the Danish side finally equalised when Thomas Arnoldsen scored from long distance with just under 90 seconds to play
- in overtime, Emil Nielsen and Barça’s defence made the difference, allowing the Spanish side to take a three-goal advantage at the break before keeping their advantage alive in the second part
- on Sunday, Barça will have the opportunity to win the EHF Champions League for 12th time in what will be their ninth EHF FINAL4 final
Barça: The weight of the experience
In terms of experience, can you really compete with a team that is playing their eighth EHF FINAL4 in a row? Aalborg did try everything to shake Barça’s confidence on Saturday — and they almost succeeded, offering themselves the chance to win the semi-final with one minute left to play. But they did not convert their last attack, and the tide then turned against them.
In overtime, Barça’s most experienced players made the difference. Emil Nielsen made a couple of crucial saves while Blaž Janc and Ludovic Fabregas took things into their own hands — and Barça made it through. Even though the Blaugrañas boat was shaken, it remained afloat.
I think that we needed more open shots as Barça defend really well. We tried to find some solutions — playing seven-against-six was one of them. Sadly for us, it was also our death, as Barça managed to score in the empty goal in the overtime.
I am happy — happy to be back in Cologne and also to be able to win the title. It’s the proof that we work well as a team; that we push in the right direction. Regarding the season, I think it’s kind of logical to be in the final, but you don’t win titles on logic. You have to fight for them. And that is exactly what we did today.
