Live Event #5
Palau Blaugrana
If I told you I came to Barcelona and planned to attend a handball match I'd be lying. My father proposed that we walk from our hotel to the Palau Blaugrana (Catalan for palace of blue and deep red), FC Barcelona's handball and basketball arena (capacity 7,550), and try to get tickets to the handball game. Let me make myself clear: my knowledge of handball extends no further than the scrambled 10 v 10 version we play in North American PE class. The general perception is that handball is a non-contact sport, similar to something like ultimate frisbee. I was in for a massive shock.
We purchased two general admission tickets for a combined 26 euros; an affordable price for an hour and a half of entertainment. We arrived just as the rambunctious crowd finished singing their beloved Barca anthem. We sat in the upper corner of the stadium, which provided us with an exceptional view of the court. I soon found out that the handball is played with six "outfield" players and one goalkeeper and that the game is unlike anything I'd ever witnessed. The game is split evenly into two thirty minutes halves and the action is never ending. Substitutions are completed on the fly and are - not unlike basketball in the final minutes of games, determined on an offensive/defensive basis. The object of the game is simple, the team with the most goals wins, not too dissimilar to football (soccer) but with scores occurring at a much higher volume.
A diagram of an official handball court (Reference: Government of Western Australia)
The majority of the goals scored come from set play. The six attacking players set up in a shell around the 9 meter line, passing and dribbling around the semi circle, attempting to break through the defence and get a clear shot on goal. Once an attacking players steps over the 9 meter line and enters the defensive zone (a section that stretches 3 meters) he can be forcefully obstructed by the defender. If an attacking player is illegally felled by a defender inside the defensive zone, he is awarded a penalty shot from the 7 meter line. Goals can also come from fast breaks which usually occur following a defensive deflection or steal (like in basketball). The job of goalkeeper is unforgiving, many of the shot attempts are nearly impossible to stop; a save at a crucial moment in the match provokes a massive momentum swing.
The match was important for Barcelona, the first leg of the quarter finals of the European Cup. Led by their captain László Nagy, a 6'10'' Hungarian giant, Barca fought back and forth against their German opponents THW Kiel. Late in the match and up by only one goal, Barca's keeper Danijel Šarić made two incredible saves that preserved Barca's lead and they held on to win 27-25. I'm pleased with our decision to attend the match; it was a thrilling encounter and introduced to me a new sport to appreciate and understand. Monday night we would complete our Barcelona sports trifecta and watch Regal Barcelona face off against DKV Joventut of nearby Baladona in a Spanish league basketball game.
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