Barça 29-30 OTP Bank Pick Szeged: Off to Cologne and the Final Four

The FC Barcelona handball team will be in Cologne for the Final Four of the TruckScout24 EHF for the seventh season in a row despite a 30-29 defeat against OTP Bank Pick Szeged at the Palau in the second leg of their quarter final play off. The 27-24 win in Hungary last week was enough to send Carlos Ortega's team through to the semi-finals, much to the delight of the more than 4,000 fans in the Palau Blaugrana. 

Barça are the last side to book their place in the last four with Füchse Berlin, Nantes and Magdeburg already through. The competition will take place in the Laxness Arena, the home of European handball, on 14/15 June with the blaugranes looking for their 13th victory in the competition and their fourth in the last five seasons. Coach Carlos Ortega has taken his side to the Final Four in each of his four seasons in charge. 

Slight advantage 

As in the first leg, the game was a tight affair, despite Barça getting off to a great start to lead 5-2 after 6 minutes. Szeged came back to move ahead at 9-8 but Barça than took advantage of exclusions for Kalarash and Mackovsek to move into a 16-14 lead at half time. 

In the second half Pick Szeged did not thrown in the towel and took the lead again at 24-23 with 42 minutes gone. Saves from keeper Vincent Gérard saw the score stay at 25-25 with 10 minutes to go. 

The Hungarians moved ahead at 28-26 and threatened to turn around their deficit on goal difference with just four minutes remaining. However, Barça withstood the pressure as Makuc cut the difference to 29-28 with 90 seconds remaining. Sostaric's goal for Szeged gave them a 30-29 win but it was not enough to prevent Barça booking their ticket for Cologne and the Final Four to defend their European title. 

MATCH STATS 

Barça, 29

OTP Bank Pick Szeged, 30

Barça: Nielsen, Janc, Dika Mem, Richardson, Frade, N'Guessan, Ariño -starting seven- Vincent Gérard (gk), Makuc, Javi Rodríguez, Carlsbogard, Wanne, Thiagus Petrus, Cikusa, Aleix Gómez, Juan Palomino. 

Pick Szeged: Mikler, Sostaric, Rød, Kalarash, Mackovsek, Smarason, Frimmel -starting seven- Thulin (gk), Szilágyi, Bodó, Bánhidi, Toto, Jelinic, Kukic, Rea, Garciandia.