Barceloneta defeated Terrassa twice in the Spanish League playoffs’ semifinals, securing its spot in the finals. The reigning champion will find out its opponent after the third game between Sabadell and Barcelona.
In the second semifinal match, Sabadell beat Barcelona away, avenging a penalty shootout loss at home.
It was an extraordinary game for modern water polo. Matches with 30 goals or more have been common in the last few seasons, but the duel between Barcelona and Sabadell produced only 12 goals.
Sabadell recorded an 8:4 victory. The visitors earned a 2:0 lead midway through the first period and, playing perfectly in defense, never let Barcelona equalize. In the 10th minute, Konstantin Averka gave Sabadell a 3-goal lead for the first time (4:1). Velkov replied in Barcelona’s next possession, and it was the last goal in the first half. Sabadell continued dictating the pace. After 19th minutes, the visitors had a 6:2 lead. The rhythm of the game didn’t change in the last quarter and a half. Sabdell kept a 4-goal difference until the end of the defensive battle. Kanstantin Averka scored two goals for Sabadell, while Taiyo Watanabe matched him with two goals for the home team.
Barceloneta beat Terrassa 17:11 in the second game of the semifinal series. The first half saw a balanced battle with a few twists and turns. Two minutes before the middle break, Terrassa went ahead for the last time – 6:5. Barceloneta equalized at 6:6 shortly after and opened the third period with two quick goals, taking a 9:6 lead. Terrassa reduced the gap to two goals twice (6:8 and 7:9) and didn’t come closer. Unai Biel (Barceloneta) and Lars ten Broek (Terrassa) topped the scorers’ list with four goals each.
2026 Spanish League, playoffs
Semifinals (best of three), 2nd game
Terrassa – Barceloneta 11:17 (3:3, 3:3, 2:6, 3:5) – the final score in the series 0:2
Barcelona – Sabadell 4:8 (1:3, 1:1, 1:2, 1:2) – the score in the series 1:1
5th-8th place semifnals (best of two), 2nd leg
Mataro – Rubi 19:9 (3:0, 5:6, 5:2, 6:1) – 1st leg 20:11
Sant Andreu – Tenerife 15:12 (3:4, 6:4, 1:3, 5:1) – first leg 13:14
Relegation playoffs (best of two), 2nd leg
Caballa – Boadilla 17:10 (5:2, 3:3, 4:2, 5:3) – first leg 15:11
Mediterrani – Catalunya 13:13 (5:3, 0:3, 4:3, 4:4) – first leg 12:10
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
