Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto lose in Granollers but show encouraging signs.

Fraikin Granollers won 32–25 in Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto’s first pre-season test on their return as an Asobal League team.

The Valencians, who were without Mirallave through illness and their captain David Bruixola for work reasons, left the Granollers Olympic Stadium after showing their Asobal credentials in the first half.

The first half ended 13–15 in favour of the red-and-whites, demonstrating that they can compete with anyone in the top division.

In the second half, the physical workload and greater squad depth of the Vallès side restored the expected balance when one of the league’s big teams faces a newly promoted side.

Several first-team debuts for Fertiberia will go down in history, as Nogués’s squad was packed with youngsters who are undertaking pre-season with the first team. They included the club’s new arrivals, Catalans Ortega and Arnau Fernandez, and two very young products of the red-and-white academy: junior goalkeeper Guillermo Martinez and left-handed youth player David López Ortego.

Coach Nogués assessed the match: “We had a very good first half, which should make the team believe that it can compete in Asobal against any side. We were very good defensively in the first half, with Ribes contributing brilliantly in goal, and the team proposed things in attack. In the second half we changed our face as a team, and inaccuracies and doubts allowed Granollers to kill us on the counter with a 5–0 run. So my assessment is the logical one for pre-season: I saw 30 phenomenal minutes and 30 minutes in which we must learn things that we cannot allow ourselves in the Asobal League.”

The second summer opponent is another illustrious team from last season, the reigning Copa del Rey runners-up, Liberbank Cuenca, who will visit the Ovni on 20 August from 8:15 p.m.

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto:

Ribes and Guillermo. Jaka, Querin, Dorado, Camacho, Corzo, Celorrio, Alegre, Dija, Tello, Angelon, Pozzer, Ortega, Arnau and López Ortego.

Photographs: Julian Vazquez/BMG

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.