Match Analysis: Kielce Vs. Barcelona

by Mário Cesar Navarro EHF Champions League, Handball Analysis

After last week’s defeat at home, F.C. Barcelona traveled to Poland to face the warriors of Łomża Vive Kielce in another fantastic EHF Champions League show with a whole house again.

Stay with another detailed analysis of a fantastic and exciting handball match.

F.C. Barcelona entered the encounter at an excellent level, scoring a partial 1:5 in the first six minutes of the match. However, Kielce managed to reduce the deficit in the game until the 20th minute, but it was not enough, going into the halftime break down by two goals.

It is essential to point out that F.C. Barcelona opted for a faster attack, with an average possession time of 26 seconds, achieving a shooting efficiency of 69.6% (16 goals from 23 shots) and an attacking efficiency of 55.2%, with Perez de Vargas making nine saves from 23 attempts (39.1%).

On the other hand, Kielce presented a more disciplined attack with an average of 36 seconds of possession. They showed an organized attacking efficiency of 37.5% (9 goals in 24 attacks) and committed seven turnovers.

If Kielce got into the game poorly in the first half, the start of the second half was disastrous for F.C. Barcelona, who committed five turnovers in the first five attacks. However, Kielce could not catch up with them on the scoreboard, and Barcelona would again fix their lead at four goals.

But the Kielce warriors never gave up, with an aggressive defense and improving their shooting efficiency. They managed to get the equalizer in the 57th minute with an arena entirely on fire.

In the last two minutes and thirty seconds, Kielce rose to have more coolness and managed to reach the lead on the scoreboard at minute 59, thus obtaining a great victory by two goals.

At the end of the game, Kielce’s 63% shooting efficiency, ten saves from thirty-seven shots (27%) from their goalkeepers, but above all, the improvement at all levels from the first to the second half should be highlighted.

On the F.C. Barcelona side, despite a higher shooting efficiency compared to their opponents, their attacking inefficiency made the difference at the end, where they committed ten turnovers in the second half.

At the end of the game, Łomża Vive Kielce stands out at the top of Group B of the EHF Champions League with five more points than F.C. Barcelona, who occupies the second position.

Author Profile

Mário Cesar Navarro
Portuguese handball coach with over 15 years of experience coaching both male and female youth and senior teams. Passionate about game analysis and coaching.