The BarcelonaDragons went on the road and earned a hard-fought 17-13 win over the previously undefeated RheinFire coached by JimTomsula. For the Dragons , who finished last year 3-7, they now are one of only two unbeaten teams in the European League of Football sitting at 4-0.
After a slow start to the game by both offenses, the Dragons got a huge break as they blocked a RheinFire punt to score the game’s first points. After a botched snap, and blocked kick, AdrainJimenez scooped up the ball and took it 35 yards for a touchdown.
The @Dragons_BCN put up the first points in this wild play: Blocked Punt TD! 💥
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) June 26, 2022
Later in the second quarter, the RheinFire struck back, as Jannik Seibel intercepted a ZachEdwards pass on the one-yard line, stifling what had been a great drive by the visitors. RheinFire running back Jason Aguemon took the momentum and followed his offensive line’s excellent blocking leading the RheinFire on an eight play, 99-yard touchdown drive capped by a quarterback sneak from MattAdam, tying the game at seven just before halftime.
The Fire started the second half doing much of the same as a steady dose of running back Jason Aguemon and wide receiver NathanielRobitaille led to a 14-play 66-yard drive. However, kicker Daniel Schumacher missed a 19-yard chip shot, leaving the thousands of fans in attendance facepalming.
The crowd was back in the game quickly as Swiss linebacker Lukas Ruoss intercepted a risky pass from ZachEdwards.
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) June 26, 2022
After another punt from an unusually inefficient RheinFire offense, the Dragons marched down the field, led by some nifty moves from ZachEdwards as the dual threat passer picked up a clutch 4th and 3 conversion, then followed that up with a 20-yard run the next play. One the first play of the fourth quarter, Edwards found running back Adrian Jimenez in flats giving the Dragons a thin 14-7 lead.
Following the second straight punt from the RheinFire, Edwards and Dragons were back in business looking to stretch their lead to two scores. Edwards picked up another first down on the ground. Then a few plays later he found receiver KyleSweet on the left side for another big gain. The RheinFire defense stepped up in the redzone as Martin Pinter was able to coral Edwards for a sack. Former TennesseTitans kicker and NFL journeyman Giorgio Tavecchio booted in a short field goal stretching the Dragons lead to 17-7.
Now down by 10 points, it was do or die time for the RheinFire. Quarterback MattAdam led an impressive drive capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass to receiver NathanielRobitaille. Despite having former NFL Draft pick and SEC defensive player of the year MichaelSam bearing down on him, Adam was able to get the ball just far enough for the veteran to make yet another clutch play. A missed extra point made it a four-point game however instead of three, leaving the RheinFire down 17-13.
Matt Adam with a nice touch pass here despite excellent pressure from Michael Sam pic.twitter.com/1DpQspPswK
The Rhein defense stepped up using their timeouts and a series of aggressive blitzes to force a Barcelona punt. With his team trailing by four and with less than two minutes remaining, Fire quarterback Matt Adam launched the ball deep for Robitaille only to watch it get picked off by Dragons defender JordiBrugnani.
Jordi Brugnani makes the game-winning interception – Photo Barcelona Dragons
However, the referee threw a flag following the snap, perhaps mimicking an off-sides penalty. Thousands of fans waited for the call as the game hung in the balance. After a short wait the official announced an illegal formation penalty on the RheinFire giving Barcelona the most impressive road win of the season.
Throughout the game, Barcelona’s quarterback impressed tucking the ball and running himself as well as spreading the ball to Spanish talents Adrian Jimenez, Mario Flores, and Jordi Torrededia. His favorite target of course remains former WashingtonState standout KyleSweet who finished with 12 catches for 134 yards. Yet, those yards were hard earned as JimTomsula’s defense remained physical for all four quarters.
Now the BarcelonaDragons join the ViennaVikings as the leagues only remaining undefeated teams. A much-improved Dragons squad has propelled themselves from the league’s basement to the penthouse. Next week, the Dragons host a winless IstanbulRams team, while the RheinFire take on the 3-1 SeaDevils in Hamburg.
Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and