BARCELONA, 19 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça revalidated its Champions League title this Sunday by beating Polish Kielce (37-35) on penalties and made history by becoming the first team to lift the title for the second consecutive season, an unprecedented milestone since that the ‘Final Four’ format was inaugurated and that crowned them for the eleventh time in Europe.
The ‘culé’ squad faced its third final in a row and the 16th in its history at the majestic Lanxess Arena in Cologne, which presented a full house with 20,000 spectators. Carlos Ortega’s men closed the season in style by winning their sixth title of the season, a booty from the Andalusian coach in his first year on the Barça bench.
Aleix Gómez guided his team again, after his performance in the semifinal with 12 goals. The winger’s effectiveness in the first half, with six goals in seven shots, was key to commanding the scoreboard. The final ended up being decided from seven meters after 70 minutes of maximum equality between both teams, but the glory was on Barça’s side.
During the first 20 minutes they put three ahead of Kielce, but the Poles increased their defensive intensity and hampered the ‘culés’ attackers, who were unable to find good shooting positions.
Barça was stuck, but the rivals could not overcome the score. An equality that favored the azulgranas, after more than five minutes of drought, although Aleix came to the rescue to score in the last second and go one up at halftime (14-13).
At the start of the second half, Kielce took the lead for the first time since the initial 0-1 draw and Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas’ saves prevented greater harm for Carlos Ortega’s men at their worst moment. However, they managed to overcome and turned around a scoreboard that ended in a draw after 60 regulation minutes (28-28).
Kielce came out more determined in extra time with long possessions that they couldn’t make. An inaccuracy that gave wings to a Barça suffered in defense and quick on the counterattack. Even so, the Poles had the best chances, but Petrus avoided defeat in the last seconds so that the title was decided from the penalty shootout (32-32)
Gonzalo dressed as a hero from seven meters and saved Álex Dujshebaev’s third penalty, the only miss of the ten shots. Thus, the goalkeeper was key, as happened last season when he was designated the MVP of the final in the last edition, to break the equality and break the ‘champion’s curse’ to win his eleventh Champions League.