Fertiberia lose their first friendly but leave a good impression

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto lose 27–24 in their first test in Cuenca against an opponent who had already played Benidorm. The first half provided the expected picture for this campaign, with a defence that, despite the absence of two mainstays such as Sorrentino and Bruixola, showed great intensity, with the newcomers Querin and Zmavc contributing significantly in that area. If the attacking threats on the wings are added to this, with Sifre and Alegre running frequently and effectively, and Pocholo and Folques providing support, the goals were assured. The 4–8 score in the first quarter, with Chueca flawlessly covering Bruixola's absence, gave the club the picture it is hoping for this season. The Valencians encountered the greatest obstacles in their settled attack, especially because Ángel Pérez de Inestrosa is gradually increasing his pace during pre-season and Zmavc's adaptation to a position so well covered by Pozzer last season will take time. The good news was Querin, who was a defensive wall and also unleashed his arm in attack on several occasions. Rotations and Cuenca's good attacking play allowed them to go into half-time with their first and narrowest lead of the match, 12–11. The second half began with junior Conca making his debut in goal, producing three consecutive saves and making his potential clear. However, Fertiberia coped less well with the rotations and could no longer deal with the two- or three-goal lead Cuenca managed to establish through Rojiblanco turnovers and inconsistent refereeing, which left the Valencians short-handed at key moments. The final five minutes saw the debut of another Rojiblanco academy player, international Promesas player Óscar García, who performed excellently. The final score was 27–24 to the home side. Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola, Chueca, Conca, Inestrosa (2), Sifre (3), Leo Querin (4), Ángel López, Toni (2), Pocholo (3), Ángel Fernández (1), Juande (3), Nebot, Jaka (3), Nejc (1), Rubén (1), Josep (1), Óscar. BM Ciudad Encantada: Casas, Galán (1), Canyigueral (3), Vainstein (4), Ariel (4), David Cortés, Hugo López (3), Thiago (5), Alex Taravilla, Nolasco (2), Xavier Castro (2), Perdvic (3), Leo Dutra. Breakdown: 2–3, 4–6, 4–8, 7–10, 10–10, 12–11, 14–14, 17–17, 20–18, 23–20, 26–22, 27–24. Officials: Santiago Raez and José Joaquín Martínez. Jaka, Alegre and Nejc (2) were excluded for Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto. Thiago (2) and Hugo were excluded for BM Ciudad Encantada. Match played at the Sargal in front of 500 spectators.  

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.