Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto unable to withstand the purple storm

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto lost 22–32 this evening to BM Guadalajara in a match that appeared evenly balanced at half-time, but the second half told a different story as the Alcarrians were superior. The first half began with the sides evenly matched, Fertiberia holding on thanks to Bruixola’s saves while BM Guadalajara used a compact defence. After the first ten minutes, Fertiberia moved ahead with a 5–0 run, allowing them to establish a three-goal lead. Mateo Garralda’s response was swift: he called a time-out to halt the red-and-whites’ good spell. Valencia’s good play ran through Apelgren, who was the outstanding player of the first half, delighting the crowd with a masterclass in assists and goals. Patxi Martí’s men held the score well, with their lead never dropping below two goals. It was not until the 27th minute that BM Guadalajara tightened up and, with two quick counter-attacks, levelled the score at 14–14 by the end of the first half. The start of the second half was not what the hosts had expected. It took the Alcarrians little time to turn the score around (16–18), during five opening minutes in which the red-and-whites lacked ideas. The Valencian coach called a time-out to give his players instructions, but it had no effect because the visitors were highly clinical in front of goal and moved four goals ahead. From the 45th minute onwards, Fertiberia could not find the right answers and missed two counter-attacks, which proved a heavy burden. Garralda’s men continued in the same vein and maintained their four-goal advantage. The Alcarrians’ tempo did not drop, even when they suffered three suspensions, a situation the red-and-whites failed to exploit. Patxi Martí therefore called a time-out when he saw that his team had run out of ideas and were six goals behind (20–26). After 20 minutes, the hosts had managed to beat Almeida only six times. In the end, the red-and-whites could do nothing to stop the purple storm and were beaten 22–32. Fertiberia’s next fixture will be the 18th round of the ASOBAL league against Ángel Ximénez Puente Genil next Saturday, 15 February, with Teledeporte’s cameras in attendance. Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Sebastiá, Bruixola, Samuel, Marc Andreu, Rubén Ruiz (2), Moriñigo (1), Tarrasó (3), Lluna, Berrios, Apelgren (7), Plaza (5), Toni Alegre, Nebot, Fernández, Dukic (4) and Roque. BM Guadalajara: Parra (2), Kike Plaza, Da Silva (1), Reig (3), Pozzer (4), Fontenla (7), Barbera, Vigo (5), Bozalongo (2), Moyano, Muiña (3), Valadao (5) and Almeida. Officials: Javier Álvarez Mata and Ion Bustamante López (Basque and Navarrese Territorial Federation). Fertibeira BM Puerto Sagunto players Fernández and Dukic were suspended, while Da Silva, Bozalongo and Valadao were suspended for BM Guadalajara. Score at five-minute intervals:  1–3, 2–3, 7–5, 10–8, 12–11, 14–14 Half-time 16–17, 18–21, 20–23, 20–26, 20–28, 22–32 Final. Polideportivo Municipal Internúcleos “Ovni”. 1500 spectators.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.