La Penya has won three derbies in a row against Barça and that has not happened for 20 years

The resounding victory of Asisa Joventut in front of Barça (113-89) in the Olympic It was not just a coup of league authority nor an afternoon of offensive inspiration. It was, above all, a ticket back to one of the golden eras of the black and green entity. According to the data revealed by the statistical specialist MisterChip, the Penya has managed to beat Barça in three consecutive derbies (two of League Endesa and one of Super Cup) for the first time in the last two decades.

To find a similar precedent you have to go back to 2006. At that time, the team from Badalona was under the orders of Aito García Reneses and displayed unforgettable basketball that returned Badalona to the first line of the continent. That locker room mixed the youthful emergence of talents like some very young Ricky Blond and Rudy Fernández with the craft and magic of illustrious people like Elmer Bennetta newbie Marcelinho OrchardsLubos BartonPaco Vazquezand Charles’s inner bullying GainesAndrew Betts and the longed for Robert Archibald.

Twenty years later, the current Joventut by Dani Miret has broken that chronological barrier. The green and black have not only once again competed head-to-head with their eternal rival, but they have also taken the measure of them in the last three games: first by snatching the Super Cup title from them and, subsequently, punishing them in the domestic competition, with this Sunday’s exhibition as the climax.

That 2006 team marked an entire generation of black and green fans for its audacity, pace and youth pride. Two decades later, and after a night to remember at the Olímpic, Badalona once again celebrates a hegemony.

Asked about it at the end of the match, the Penya coach, Danny Miretsaid: “To beat Barça you have to do very well and that is reflected; you need good players and for the club to be in a good moment. We cannot normalize winning against Barça and we are doing very well. Doing it like this is a positive sign of our moment and we have to take advantage of it and enjoy it.” And he left a very clear message for the future: “Let no one think that this ends the Super Cup title, because we can and we believe it.”