“We have to prevent them from running.” Before flying to Barcelona, Nantes coach Gregory Cojean had given a hint as to how his team could get a result in the Palau Blaugrana.
For 45 minutes, his players did almost everything right, controlling the pace of the game and showing some impressive defensive consistency.
But Barça, despite showing some obvious signs of fatigue, kept their heads cold to take the upper hand in the last quarter of the game. The Spanish side converted every opportunity in sight to become the only team in the Machineseeker Champions League 2022/23 with the maximum of 12 points after six rounds.
GROUP B
Barça (ESP) vs HBC Nantes (FRA) 34:29 (16:17)
- the first half was a very tight one, with neither side taking more than a two-goal advantage. Perhaps surprisingly, Nantes had the upper hand throughout, partly thanks to Viktor Hallgrímsson's saves
- Nantes remained in the game for the first part of the second half, with Thibaud Briet and Linus Persson taking responsibility offensively
- Barça, though, remained consistent for longer, as their defence provoked some turnovers from their opponents in the dying minutes of the game
- Barça made the most of the opportunities, taking a four-goal lead with five minutes left to play
- Thibaud Briet netted eight times for Nantes, while Ludovic Fabregas scored six for Barça
Nantes were punished for their turnovers
Level on the scoreboard 15 minutes before the end, Nantes could expect to be making history. But then it all went wrong for the French side. Two turnovers, punished by Aleix Gómez and Ludovic Fabregas, and an offensive foul turned an equalising opportunity into a three-goal advantage for the hosts. After that point, “Le H” were never going to come back into the game, and they ultimately saw their efforts reduced to nothing.
