Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto draw on their return to the Ovni

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto drew 27–27 this afternoon against the Saudi Arabia senior national team, in the first friendly match held at the Ovni in 2014. The match began with the Saudis dominating (4–7). During the first ten minutes, the red-and-whites looked somewhat sleepy and imprecise in their ball circulation, a circumstance Saudi Arabia took advantage of to establish a three-goal lead. From the midpoint of the first half, the Valencians reacted after being very effective in defence and attack. At that moment, Goran Dzokic, Saudi Arabia’s coach, stopped the match with a timeout when the scoreboard showed an 8–8 draw. Later, the protagonists were Bruixola in goal and Plaza in attack, who showed signs of recovering from his injury and put the red-and-whites ahead for the first time (10–8) with two goals. With a 5–0 run, the home side dominated under Apelgren’s leadership, and their fierce defence made the opposition attack spark. Finally, the Saudis increased the intensity to turn the score around and go into the dressing room ahead (11–12). After the break, Fertiberia levelled the score at 16–16 after increasing the intensity and winning back two balls. From the 45th minute, the red-and-whites moved two goals ahead (20–18), bringing the calm Patxi Martí was seeking. With the lead, the red-and-white play became more fluid and accurate. With less than five minutes remaining, the home coach called a timeout to organise his players and hold the lead until the end, but it was not to be: the Saudis levelled the match at 27–27, and their goalkeeper finally saved Fertiberia’s last chance. In addition, the invited schools watching the international friendly, Colegio Cronista Chabret and Colegio Romeu, played a mini-match during the interval. Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola, Sebastiá, Samuel, Marc Andreu, Rubén Ruiz (3), Pocholo (6), Tarrasó (3), Lluna, Berrios (1), Plaza (4), Apelgren (4), Toni Alegre, Nebot (3), Fernández (1), Dukic (1), Diego Roque (1) and Samuel del Río. Saudi Arabia senior national team: Al-Salem, Al-Nassfan, Al-Saffar, Al-Janabi, Saeed, Al-Hammad (1), Alenbaawi, Aboaraha (3), Al-Taweel, Sultan (1), Hisman, Al-Abdulali (4), Al-Salem (6), Al-Hannabi (3), Al-Zaer (3), Al-Abas (3), Hazazi, Al-Muntari, Al-Abbas, Al-Johani and Mojtaba (3). Referees: Juan Bautista Lanuza and José Ramón Sáez (Valencian Federation). Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto players Fernández, Nebot (2), Dukic, Plaza and Tarrasó (2) were excluded, as were Saudi Arabia senior national team players Al-Hammad, Al-Janabi, Al-Abdulali (2), Al-Taweel, Alobaidi, Al-Salem and Al-Zaer. Score at five-minute intervals:  2–2, 4–7, 7–8, 9–8, 11–10, 11–12 Half-time 13–15, 16–16, 19–17, 23–19, 23–23, 27–27 Full-time. Municipal Inter-Nuclei Sports Hall “Ovni”. 600 spectators.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.