Fertiberia save a point in the final second against Valladolid

Fertiberia take a point in Valladolid after drawing 34-34 with Recoletas Atlético Valladolid in a match in which they had led by four, but the home side came back in the closing stages and Pau Guitart ultimately saved a point with two decisive final saves. They now need to make the point count by winning next Wednesday against Granollers, in a postponed first-round match that will be broadcast by La Liga Sport TV. It is worth noting that the match marked Dija Cruz's return to the court after missing almost the entire first half of the season through injury.

It took several minutes for the scoreboard to get under way at Huerta del Rey, but once it did, the match became a very even exchange of goals between the two sides, with attacking play prevailing over the defences. The home side were the first to take the lead, but the red-and-whites managed to turn the score around. After Pozzer was excluded, Valladolid went ahead again through goals from the league's top scorer, Jorge Serrano. Nogués' side came close to moving three goals ahead, with goals from Pozzer and Nacho Mirallave, but attacking inaccuracies allowed the home side to level the score in the 28th minute. Before half-time, Mirallave put his team back in front from seven metres (17-18).

After the interval, the match continued along the same lines: a frantic exchange of goals, with Pozzer again standing out, joined among others by Corzo and Lucas Aizen, and good play orchestrated by Dija Cruz, who returned to the court after missing almost the entire first half of the season through injury. Fertiberia's defence began to toughen up before the halfway point of the second half, and they consequently moved three goals ahead, their largest lead up to that point. Valladolid opened up their defence and the red-and-whites began making attacking errors. Guitart prevented the home side from moving to within one goal. Nogués' side then moved four goals ahead. Kozina went to the bench for two minutes and Valladolid produced a 0-3 run. The scores were level again, and the final five minutes were heart-stopping: the home side moved one goal ahead, Aizen equalised and Guitart saved a point in the final seconds of the match.

Match details:

Recoletas Atlético Valladolid: Diego Camino (2), Nicolás López (1), Ander Ugarte (2), Roberto Turrado, Daniel Pérez (4), Adrián Fernández (4), Pisonero, Carlos Calle, Arthur (3), César Pérez, Lobato (2), Roberto Pérez (2), Jorge Serrano (8), Miguel Camino (3), Manuel García (3), Victor Rodriguez.

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Pau, Miralles, Mirallave (7), Querin (1), Alex Gil (1), Camacho (1), Carou (1), Dani Martínez, Corzo (4), Aizen (4), Cruz (3), Roney, Óscar García (3), Chen Pomeranz, Bruno Kozina (2), Pozzer (7).

Referees: Fernanda Espino and Victor Navarro. For Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto, Bruno and Pozzer were excluded. For Recoletas Atlético Valladolid, Nicolás, Roberto and Jorge Serrano were excluded.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.