Fertiberia fall short away to another Asobal promotion contender

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto were unable to beat a direct promotion rival, losing 31–24 to Vestas Alarcos Ciudad Real. Their objective of finishing second and hosting the promotion phase in the city has become more difficult.

The match remained level until the 15th minute, with Fertiberia leading 4–5, when Alarcos’ switch to a 5–1 defensive system disrupted the red-and-whites’ attack. Three turnovers and indiscriminate shots allowed the home side to establish a four-goal lead. This boosted Alarcos, who never again surrendered an advantage of at least four goals. Ciudad Real’s first line comprehensively outperformed Fertiberia’s equivalent, with Parker and Da Silva finding easy shooting opportunities under Beret’s direction. As a result, they went into half-time with the scoreboard reading 16–12.

The red-and-whites were unable to raise their intensity; quite the opposite. At the start of the second half, Alarcos took advantage of an unnecessary suspension for Spiljak, followed by a direct red card, to begin the second half with an even greater advantage. Corzo did not perform at the required level, and none of the red-and-white players apart from the evergreen Bruixola, with some help from Querin’s arm, were able to save face—or, more importantly, the goal difference, the only minor consolation Fertiberia managed to secure in a match that should have been a fiercely contested battle but instead became another occasion on which this team showed its poor side away from home. Their chances of hosting the phase are slipping away, and they must now watch for Alarcos to drop points to reach that objective.

The tireless support of the red-and-white tide, who travelled to Ciudad Real despite the difficult Fallas dates, deserves special mention.

Match details:

Alarcos Ciudad Real: Ri¡odrigo, Beret (4), Cambronero (1), Lumbreras (1), Almansa, Mata (2), De la Cruz, Ariel (2), Serrano (1), Vidal, Candelera, Negrete (4), Parker (8), López, De Inestrosa (1), Cutris (6)

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto: Iván Montoya (3), Dija (2), Mirallave (1), Pocholo (1), Leo Querin (5), Jaka, Dorado (5), Bruixola, Juan Carlos, Guillermos Corzo (3), Toni Alegre, Óscar García (1), Folqués (3)

Score every five minutes: 1–1, 3–4, 5–6, 10–6, 13–9, 16–12, 18–12, 21–15, 23–17, 25–20, 27–23, 31–24

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.