Barça wins the Asobal for the 13th consecutive season

BarcelonaOn May 3, 2013, Barça played against Atlético de Madrid in the semifinals of the final four of the Cup. The match was played in Logronyo. The Blaugrana, victims of a bad start, went into the break trailing by 6. At the time, the team was coached by Xavi Pascual, Easter, who came with a majestic resume – he had won the last two leagues – adjusted the distances, but in the end lost by three (28-31). Those were the times when in Spanish handball there were two clubs that opted for everything: the Blaugranas, omnipresent since the late 80s, and the Matlasers, who had acquired the federative rights of Ciudad Real, which disappeared in 2011.

That 3 May was a historic date for Spanish handball. Since then, no one has been able to overshadow Barça. Club that, with the ones it already had in its palmares, has won its 30th league, and 13th Asobal in a row. He also has 9 Copas del Rey (it would be 10 if it weren’t for that 28-31 defeat against Atlético de Madrid). 10 consecutive Super Cups and 11 Asobal Cups complete a magnificent record, where you can also add the 3 Champions (2015, 2021, 2022) to complete a dream team.

The titles are a consequence of the victories and, of that, this Barça has plenty. The 13 consecutive League titles are the result of winning 360 of the 368 games played. Only three draws and five defeats – one of them, in Torrelavega, decided in the offices due to improper alignment. In between, a streak of 146 consecutive games without losing (145 wins and a draw) that was broken on April 13, 2018 at the Palau, precisely in a derby against Fraikin Granollers that was decided with a goal in the last second (28-29). Since then, and if the penalty is not counted, he has accumulated 140 duels without losing on the court, with 138 triumphs. In fact, that Barça empathize is such an exceptional fact that the teams have marked it as a feat: Logronyo (28-28 in March 2019) and Antequera (32-32 in May 2022), both in his track

A carom that gives the title

This Tuesday, Barça needed a carambola to mathematically lift the League title again. He had to beat Atlético Valladolid and expect Granollers to lose at Benidorm. The Blaugrana did the job (32-24) and everything was up to the Valaisans, according to Asobal, but they lost against all odds against a rival in the middle of the classification. The Alicante players, after defeating them 38-33, certified their permanence and gave the title mathematically to Antonio Carlos Ortega’s team. “We prevailed with more authority than last season”, precisely said the Barça coach, who emphasized: “The thirteen titles, because of how they have been won, show how seriously the team takes it”.

“The most important thing is that it means another title for the section”, added coach Ortega, without stopping to look in the rear-view mirror at the other great competition, the Champions. “You have to think about what’s coming up, because we’re in the final stretch of the season and it’s the most important of all,” he warned.

The section continues its course while hearing bells of a possible change in funding next year, with a noticeable cut in handball and all other professional sports except men’s football. At the same time, the Champions League, which the club could win for the third consecutive year, is the icing on the cake. For all this cocktail, everything seems to indicate that it will not only be difficult to reach the final, but also to take the title.