Sabadell narrowly defeated Barceloneta 15–14 in a fiery Spanish derby in Round 8 of the División de Honor—ending CNAB’s long domestic home invincibility. Barceloneta, almost untouchable at the Sant Sebastià Pool for years, have now suffered their second home defeat of the season, following their Champions League loss to Marseille. Before this year, CNAB had not lost a home league match since March 2023.
It was Sabadell’s first win over Barceloneta this season after four previous defeats in the Supercopa, the Catalunya Cup and both Champions League meetings.
A Start Barceloneta Never Recovered From
Sabadell exploded out of the blocks with a perfect opening five minutes.
- Barroso fired in the opener
- Cabanas followed with a stunning first-quarter hat-trick
Suddenly, it was 4–0, and the league champions were rattled early.
Barceloneta managed to steady the ship, gradually reducing the gap to 4–5 in the second quarter, but every time they edged closer, Sabadell replied. The two sides traded goals for much of the middle phases. CNAB entered the final minute of the third quarter trailing 9–10, before Barroso converted a crucial man-up to give Sabadell a two-goal cushion heading into the last break.
When Asensio opened the fourth with an action goal for 12–9, the momentum had fully swung towards the visitors.
Late Surge Not Enough
With 3:06 remaining, Sabadell surged to a seemingly unassailable 15–10 lead. But Barceloneta responded with trademark desperation, scoring four straight goals to close the gap. Munarriz netted with just two seconds left, but CNAB ran out of time. Sabadell held on for a historic 15–14 victory.
Top Performers
- Sergi Cabanas – 5 goals
- Alberto Barroso – 4 goals
- Alberto Munarriz – 3 goals (Barceloneta)
Three-Way Tie at the Top
With Barcelona also winning their derby, the race for the 2026 title tightened dramatically. After eight rounds, Barceloneta, Sabadell and Barcelona all sit on 21 points, perfectly level.
Elsewhere in Round 8
Mataró 11–17 Barcelona
Barcelona dominated from start to finish, led by Pol Daura’s five goals. Mataró, unbeaten after six rounds, have now suffered back-to-back defeats—last week to Barceloneta, and now to Barcelona.
Terrassa 12–10 Catalunya
Catalunya led 4–2 at halftime, but Terrassa stormed back with a 5–1 third quarter. Catalunya briefly regained a 10–9 lead in the fourth, only for Terrassa to close the match with three unanswered goals.
Other Results
- Encinas de Boadilla – Tenerife Echeyde 9–16
- Rubí – Caballa 15–17 (after penalties)
- Mediterrani – Sant Andreu 8–7
2026 Spanish League Standings (After Round 8)
- Barceloneta – 8 – 21 pts
- Sabadell – 8 – 21 pts
- Barcelona – 8 – 21 pts
- Mataró – 8 – 18
- Terrassa – 8 – 15
- Mediterrani – 8 – 11
- Tenerife – 8 – 10
- Sant Andreu – 8 – 9
- Caballa – 8 – 8
- Rubí – 8 – 7
- Catalunya – 8 – 3
- Encinas de Boadilla – 8 – 0
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