Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto impose their authority at the Ovni

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto won 28-25 this afternoon against Helvetia Anaitasuna in the fifth-round match. Thanks to a strong defence and accurate attacking, the red-and-whites took both points against the side that had been fifth in the table up to that point. The first half began with Fertiberia highly disciplined in defence, giving the Pamplona attackers no room to breathe. From the 10th minute onwards, the Apelgren-Plaza connection began to have an effect in attack and the red-and-whites moved ahead on the scoreboard (5-3). However, Fertiberia did not take long to lose that advantage after giving away two balls, which resulted in two goals for the opposition. Later, the red-and-whites went through the worst period of the match with a slight dip, as the visitors turned the score around. On the Ovni court, the hardness of the defences began to show, with several collisions and few goals on the scoreboard. The final ten minutes of the first half were a back-and-forth affair between both teams. The red-and-whites produced a 3-0 run, prompting Etxaburu to call a timeout, followed by Anaitasuna's reaction, which matched the run and levelled the match at 12. Finally, Patxi Martí's side went into the dressing room one goal ahead (14-13). The second half began with the red-and-whites playing at a frantic pace, aiming to maintain their lead. In the first ten minutes, Fertiberia applied a fierce defence and Bruixola's saves helped the team move two goals clear (19-17). The intensity on the court continued to rise, with several suspensions that the red-and-whites used to extend their lead further (22-19). Helvetia Anaitasuna did not give up, reducing the gap to two goals and putting Patxi Martí's men under pressure. In the final minutes, nerves got the better of the red-and-whites, who lost the ball several times, although the Pamplona side failed to capitalise. Finally, two goals from Apelgren and another from Tarrasó provided the necessary reassurance to secure the second home victory (28-25). Fertiberia's next match will be next Friday, from 20:15, against Bidasoa Irún at the legendary Artaleku. Technical details Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Sebastián, Bruixola, Samuel, Rubén Ruiz, Moriñigo (1), Tarrasó (2), Lluna, Apelgren (6), Grau (6), Plaza (8), Toni Alegre, Nebot (1), Fernández, Dukic (3) and Roque (1). Helvetia Anaitasuna: Sánchez Capón, Santana, Bernatonis (5), Martínez (1), Garza, Reig (1), Etxeberría (1), Meoki (2), Montávez (2), Nadoveza (6), Borragan (2), Chocarro (1), Iker Antonio, Goñi (2) and Gastón (2). Referees: Manuel Casado Fernández and Manuel Vera Avila. For Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto, Grau (3), Plaza, Nebot, Ángel Fernández and Dukic were suspended, and for Helvetia Anaitasuna, Martínez (2), Borragan and Goñi. Score at five-minute intervals:  3-3, 5-5, 9-7, 9-9, 12-10, 14-13 Half-time 16-15, 19-17, 21-19, 23-21, 24-23, 28-25 Full-time. Municipal Sports Centre 'Ovni', 1,500 spectators.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.