Barcelona retains the Champions League after Alex Dujshebaev's drama on penalties

• Report Why has Alex Dujshebaev never been voted the best player in the world?

In the goal,

, captain of Barcelona.

In front of him,

, captain of the Polish Kielce.

Face to face, the selection.

The Champions League, the best handball competition in the world, was decided like this, with the two leading figures from Spain facing each other.

The success of the first;

the error of the second.

In the penalty shootout, after an eternal draw during the final, Dujshebaev feinted once, feinted twice, feinted three and when he was already falling he launched against the right leg of Pérez de Vargas, who was waiting for him.

Few players know each other better.

And so the tournament ended.

Barcelona, ​​champion.

For the first time since Ciudad Real achieved it in 2008 and 2009, a team revalidated its European title.

This Barcelona with a clear French influence did it, led by

, by

, by

, by

, and they did it despite the change of coach decreed by the club's board last summer.

After closing a perfect season last year with

,

arrived and, despite criticism, he was able to continue with the project.

Of revolution, nothing, the same base and practically the same game: run, run and run.

A young team, very dynamic, fast, dedicated to the legs of

, a winger who has become the main weapon, and with a Gallic first line of pure talent.

The average age of these stars is around 25 years, so the entity can dream of a streak like that of the Dream Team -five Champions between 1996 and 2000-, although the current Final Four format makes that milestone impossible.

In the final against Kielce, in fact, Barcelona faced the abyss several times, even before the penalty shootout.

In the second part of regulation time, for example, the Barça team suffered from behind on the scoreboard, but Richardson kept it, in his best moment of the season, and even almost took the victory then: a goal by

pivot from Kielce, on the horn, forced the extension.

In that extra period Barcelona commanded, but they were also defeated: they started the last minute with a goal behind (31-32) and Mem then had to appear to save his team.

Throughout the match there was a tonic, the choral game of Barcelona against the game of Alex Dujshebaev, and this was resolved in the worst way for the Spanish side.

After a whole final, a whole season, a whole five years, with the Polish Kielce behind him, he missed the penalty that could least miss, to the joy of Pérez de Vargas and Barcelona.

At 29 years old, he will have an opportunity again, character is plenty;

At 29, he will find himself safe again with this Barcelona, ​​which threatens to dominate Europe as it did two decades ago.

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