Alser BM Puerto earned a valuable point

Alser BM Puerto Sagunto drew 32-32 in a spectacular match played in front of 1,500 spectators who packed a venue ready for anything against CAI BM Aragón. The match went according to the script during the first 20 minutes, with CAI imposing their authority, led by Puerto native Sergio Ruiz Casanova, who relentlessly battered the goal defended by Bruixola. And it was not that Alser were playing badly, but a great team such as the Aragonese side allows no concessions, and every shot or lost ball resulted in a direct counter-attack or a second-wave goal for the Maños. At the other end of the court, it was business as usual, with Prce leading Alser’s goalscoring efforts. With those dynamics, the Maños led 5-9 in the 15th minute of the first half. However, today was not a day for giving up on the court, and the red-and-white team understood that. Bruixola’s arrival, saving key shots, and the attacking contribution of an inspired Muiña allowed Alser to come back and go into half-time leading 15-14. The second half was a true display of determination and unity between a passionate crowd and a team that believed victory was possible. And that was despite the stars aligning against them when, at the start of the second half, a knee injury to Prce threatened to weaken the first line’s goalscoring power. But that was not the case: Muiña continued in the same vein, Latorre led and scored, and Backovic showed his quality by taking on the shot from the left wing. The Slovenian was phenomenal today, finally performing at an exceptional level in both defence and attack. For the Aragonese side, Maqueda joined the party and kept his team in the game. The ending was a heart-stopper: the red-and-whites reached the final five minutes with a 32-30 lead, but it was not enough. Maqueda’s left-handed hammer and a goalkeeper-player goal by Demetrio Lozano levelled the electronic scoreboard, leaving the players with mixed feelings. Not so the wonderful Alser supporters, who recognised their team’s outstanding performance and appreciated the point against a rival twice their size in the standings, but who today saw themselves drop a point that keeps Alser out of the relegation places, four points clear of the line set by Toledo BM. Alser BM Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola and Peg. Backovic (5), Serrano (2), Dukic, Sifré (6), Lapcevic, Tarrasó (2), Muiña (7), Prce (6), Jorge, Angel, Latorre (4) and Bauer. CAI BM Aragón: Malumbres and Pablo. Sorli (4), Maqueda (7), Val (3), Stankovic (1), Grebenar (3), Larsson, Lozano (2), Stajanovic, Ruiz (5), Rodriguez, Massachs (6), Cartón (1) Every 5 minutes: 3-3, 4-5, 5-9, 8-12, 10-13, 15-14. Half-time. 18-19, 21-20, 24-22, 26-25, 30-28, 32-32. Full-time. Referees: Merino and Moyano. They excluded Backovic (2), Serrano, Duckic, Sifre and Muiña for Alser, and Val (2), Stankovic and Lozano for CAI. Pabellón Municipal Internucleos, 1,500 spectators. Broadcast live on Teledeporte.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.