Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto suffer heavy defeat in León but mathematically secure their Asobal survival

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto lost 40-27 this afternoon against Abanca Ademar León in a match to forget, which brought not only a disastrous result but also a serious injury to Rolandas Bernatonis, with a highly probable rupture of his Achilles tendon. The positive side of the afternoon was the draw between Aragón and Cuenca, which now allows the team to mathematically secure its survival in the Asobal league for a sixth consecutive season. Perhaps this injury holds the key to how a team that was level at 15-15 in the 25th minute of the first half, and which went into the interval only because Nebot was sent off at 19-16, still had a match on its hands. However, the interval and the news of the Lithuanian player’s injury, which occurred midway through the first half, altered the red-and-whites’ rhythms, while the León steamroller, in excellent form after four consecutive victories, sensed the opponent’s pain. Sladic was also unable to play because of a heavy blow to the knee, and Malansiskas had to play practically walking because of a minor tear in his glute. Everything was bad news at half-time, and it was even worse by the end. Until the interval, the match followed the pattern that has been usual this season, combining strong spells with lapses. The start was particularly sluggish, allowing ABANCA to move 4-0 ahead, with Lamariano stopping everything thrown at him, including a miss from Nacho Plaza. As is also customary, Aidenas Malansiskas took control and led the scoring; despite being less accurate than usual, he finished with seven goals as the red-and-whites’ top scorer. After that 4-0 run, Pachi Martí’s men recovered and levelled the score, until, with two minutes remaining and Bernatonis already down in the battle, Nebot was sent off, prompting a 3-0 run during the numerical advantage and making it 19-16. There was no match in the second half. Dani Gordo’s men came out firing, with Lamariano stopping everything and Aguirrezabalaga and Carrillo in superb scoring form, while the red-and-whites were apathetic. This produced a decisive 7-2 run in the first ten minutes, wiping Fertiberia from the Palace of Sport. They not only failed to reduce the deficit but continued to slide until the emphatic final score of 40-27. Fertiberia’s next match will be next Saturday, 9 May, from 18:30 at the Internúcleos Sports Hall in Puerto de Sagunto, against BM Aragón in matchday 28 of the league. Abanca Ademar León: Llamazares, Biosca, Lamariano, Kristensen (4), Mellado (1), Vejin (1), Rodrigo (2), Piñeiro (3), García Vega (3), da Silva (5), Carrillo (8), Diez, Aguirrezabalaga (6), Almeida (3), García (1) and Dimitrievski (3). Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Sebastián, Bruixola, Bernatonis (2), Malasinskas (7), Rubén Ruiz (3), Sladic (2), Moriñigo (5), Tarrasó (2), Berrios (1), Plaza (5), Nebot, Fernández (2), Dukic (2) and Sario. Referees: Gude and Rodriguez. Abanca Ademar León players excluded: García Vega and Dani Gordo (coach); Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto player excluded: Nebot (2), Fernández (1). Score at five-minute intervals: 4-0, 6-4, 7-6, 11-10, 14-14, 19-16 Half-time, 23-17, 26-18, 29-20, 33-21, 38-24, 40-27 Full-time. León Palace of Sport. 2,000 spectators, 9 of them members of Marea Rojiblanca.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.