Encouraging signs in the first summer test

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto comfortably beat REBI Cuenca 41-34 in their first friendly of the 2026-27 pre-season, played at the Internúcleos Municipal Sports Arena, better known as the Ovni, from 8.00 pm.

The match began with two notable changes in the Port side’s starting seven. Recent signing Jorge Romanillos made his first start at pivot and opened his scoring account in red and white in the third minute. Alongside him in the centre of defence, fellow summer arrival Miguel Llorens also made his debut.

The opening stages were perfectly balanced, with the teams continually exchanging goals. The score stood at 4-4 after five minutes. Arnau Fernández and Javier Olivares were the Valencian side’s main attacking threats, each scoring twice in the first eight minutes.

The Cuenca side established the first leads of the match at 5-7 and 6-8 thanks to saves from goalkeeper Gábor Decsi and goals by Rajmond Toth and Guilherme Tavares. A 3-0 run then allowed Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto to turn the score around at 9-8, helped by the fresh legs of Antonio Capitán and Gabriel Navarro in the backcourt. Navarro, another debutant, scored his first goal in the red-and-white shirt shortly after the midpoint of the first half.

Despite a two-minute suspension for Antonio Capitán, the Valencian side opened a two-goal advantage at 12-10 in the 18th minute through their constant connection with pivot Jorge Romanillos.

After the 20-minute mark, Sergio Mallo introduced two players from the Primera Nacional reserve team: goalkeeper Carlos Ordiñana, who made two saves in his first two minutes on court, and backcourt player Paco Joosten. There were also two further debuts. Pivot Guille Soler opened his scoring account with an excellent finish while falling backwards, while Javier Manzano also made his first appearance.

A long-range effort from Gabriel Navarro gave Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto their largest lead to that point, 16-13, in the 23rd minute. Academy player Macri Pérez also featured, replacing Gonzalo Pérez on the right wing in the 27th minute.

The academy contribution, including goals from Paco Joosten and Javier Manzano, helped preserve the three-goal lead. Lidio Jiménez’s team trimmed it slightly when Santi Barceló scored from nine metres almost on the buzzer, following a timeout, to make the half-time score 20-17.

The Castile-La Mancha side emerged stronger after the restart and moved within one goal at 20-19 in the 35th minute after Rajmond Toth converted two seven-metre throws. At the other end, the connection between the backcourt and Jorge Romanillos continued to deliver the same results as in the first half.

Juani Villarreal, the third goalkeeper in the squad, took his place between the posts in the 39th minute. Improved red-and-white defending forced several visiting turnovers and produced counter-attacking goals, prompting Lidio Jiménez to call a timeout in the 43rd minute with the score at 28-24.

An Arnau Fernández seven-metre throw and a counter-attack finished by Gabriel Navarro extended the lead to six goals at 34-28 in the 49th minute. In the same move, Antonio Capitán received a direct red card after attempting to halt a drive by Manuel Lima.

With ten minutes remaining, Lidio Jiménez stopped the match again and used his final timeout. Sergio Mallo responded several minutes later with another timeout to reorganise his players.

In the closing stages, Juani Villarreal ended any prospect of a REBI Cuenca comeback with a series of fine saves. Another home-grown player, Macri Pérez, also made the most of his minutes by joining the list of scorers. The largest margins came in the 58th and 59th minutes at 40-33 and 41-33 respectively. Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto eventually secured a 41-34 victory.

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto’s next fixture will again be at home. On Tuesday 11 August at 8.00 pm, they will face another NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL side, Fraikin BM Granollers.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.