FC Barcelona win seventeenth Asobal Super Cup
Barça have won an incredible 17 of the 29 editions of the Asobal Super Cup, the latest coming in a hard fought 32:28 win against Franklin Granollers before 4,000 people in Tarragona on Sunday afternoon. Despite Nikola Karabaticto being sidelined with an archilles tendon injury, Barça had every reason to feel confident against the same side that they had already beaten fairly comfortably to win the Catalan Super Cup, but Granollers had learned their lesson and after nine minutes were leading 3:6.
Wael Jallouz joins FC Barcelona!
One of the best and most perspective African players, Tunisian left back Wael Jallouz (23) has signed two years contract with Spanish FC Barcelona. He left German THW Kiel after only one season on Baltic coast. Jaluz came to Germany in the summer 2013 with high expectations, but he wasn't in the serious plans of Alfred Gislason from the very beginning.
Barça's preseason schedule takes shape
The handball team will start their preseason on August 4. Preseason matches against Minden and Toulouse have been scheduled as the first games for the blaugrana. The two first friendlies Barça will play will be outside of Spain. The first will be in Germany against Minden on August 19 at 7:30 PM CET.
Barca and Flensburg in the same group
SG Flensburg-Handewitt, the defending champions of the VELUX EHF Champions League will face FC Barcelona, KIF Kolding, Alingsas HK, Orlen Wisla Plock and the winner of Qualification Group 3 in the new season after the group phase draw determined all four groups. EHF President Jean Brihault and EHF Secretary General Michael Wiederer carried out the draw at the Gartenhotel Altmannsdorf in Vienna. Xavi Pascual was optimistic about the draw and the encounters ahead: "Many interesting games await us so it will be easy to sell them and people will really like it. The rematch against Flensburg or the return of our former coach Manolo Cadenas to Barcelona with Plock are nice stories which will certainly attract the interest of our fans. It is important to play the Champons League, there is much more intensity in this competition than in our Asobal.
Macedonia book the last ticket for Qatar 2015
Macedonia - Greece 35:23 (19:9) / First leg 27:25 - aggregate score: 62:48
The Boris Trajkovski is a tough arena to play in for any away team. Many a European club side has had to realise this fact when visiting the arena in Skopje for a VELUX EHF Champions League match, and on Sunday night, the Greek national team had the same experience. Being two goals down already after their home match against Macedonia, Greece were under pressure already before the first whistle in Skopje, and as soon as the match had started, they were never even close to produce the sensation it would have been, if they had sent out Macedonia and qualified for Qatar.
Gudjón Valur Sigurdsson, new FC Barcelona handball signing
The Icelandic winger reaches agreement with the Club for the next two seasons. Sigurdsson is coming to FC Barcelona from the German team THW Kiel. He was a former AG Copenhagen player and has a long career in the German Bundesliga in teams like Rhein Neckar Löwen, Gummersbach and Tussem Essen.
Macedonia very close to another world championchip
Greece - Macedonia 25:27 (12:13)
With a collection of star shooters such as Kiril Lazarov and Renato Vugrinec, the Macedonians were tipped to win both of their play-off matches against the less experienced Greeks. But Greece clearly had different ideas and have made sure their rivals do not enjoy an easy ride to Qatar.
Cruel end
FC Barcelona - Flensburg-Handewitt 39:41 (36:36, 32:32, 17:18)
Karabatic and Noddesbo led Barça's scoring in the first half, but Barça were never able to open more than a two goal advantage against the Germans, for whom Glandorf and Eggert were a threat down both wings and a late brace from Eggert and Weinhold sent Flensburg in 17:18 up at the break.
To the final!
Helvetia Anaitasuna - FC Barcelona 28:36 (10:17)
Xavi Pascual's team comfortably beat the hosts and they'll play against the winner of the Granollers and Osca match. Barça will play for their 18th Copa del Rey title! The team managed by Xavi Pascual defeated Helvetia Anaitasuna, the hosts, by 28 to 36, in a match that the Blaugrana took a massive lead in the first half.
Ready for the Cup challenge
FC Barcelona - Juanfersa Grupo Fegar 38:25 (19:12)
The league holders, without Sterbik, Rutenka, Karabatic and Tomàs, comfortably won their league game ahead of their Cup showdown on Saturday. Another victory for Barça's handball team. Thats 27 victories in the league this season.
