Barça make it to Cologne as Karabatic bids CL farewell

The 30:22 away win at Paris last week was a warm and comfortable cushion for the second leg – and finally Barça became the only side to win both quarter-finals. PSG showed much more resistance than in the second half on home ground, when Barça turned a 11:14 into the 30:22, but they could not stop the hosts, who made it to Cologne for the 12th time since 2010.

Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Aitor Ariño remain in the race to become the first players to win the EHF Champions League for the fifth time in Cologne, after raising the trophy in 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2022. Barça therefore join Aalborg Håndbold, reigning champions SC Magdeburg and THW Kiel in the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4.

QUARTER-FINAL, LEG 2

Barça (ESP) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) 32:31 (17:12)
Barça win 62:53 on aggregate

• after the first half, PSG’s dream for a miracle like THW Kiel before was shattered, as Barça were ahead by five goals, and the overall margin was already 13 goals – impossible to turn around, when you play at Palau Blaugrana
• but PSG never gave up after the break, willing to finish the Machineseeker EHF Champions League season victorious. Boosted by 10 goals of Elohim Prandi, the French team reduced the gap to only one goal at 28:29 in minute 55 – but never could level the result or even take the lead until the end
• the only sad news for Barça was the knee injury of their youngster Pol Valera four minutes before the end
• PSG line player Kamil Syprzak remains on top of the scorers list with now 112 strikes, the only player, who might pass him at Cologne is Barça right back Dika Mem, who is on 96 goals after his seven strikes on Thursday.
• the semi-final draw event will be staged in Budapest on 7 May, 17:00 CEST (live on EHFTV)
  
  

Sad farewell for Nikola Karabatic

It was his 281st EHF Champions League match – and the last one: Nikola Karabatic finished his career on international club level with two goals, a defeat and incomplete. He could have become the first player in handball history to win the EHF Champions League with four different clubs after raising the trophy with Montpellier in 2003, THW Kiel in 2007 and Barça in 2015.

When Montpellier turned an eight goal deficit in the first leg into their first ever trophy against Portland San Antonio, then 19-year-old Karabatic netted an overall of 16 goals in both finals. After winning the trophy with Kiel and becoming Champions League top scorer, he was awarded IHF Player of the Year for the first of three times.

After winning the trophy with Barça he moved to PSG, made it to the final in 2017, but never entered the winners’ podium again. In November 2022, Karabatic became all-time record player of the EHF Champions League with his 264th match. The Olympic Games in Paris will be his last dance after winning his fourth EHF EURO in January. Adieu, Niko!