Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto refuses to come down from the clouds

The rojiblancos beat BM Guadalajara 22-19

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto do not want to miss the opportunity to secure their place in the Liga Loterías Asobal, and they are certainly doing enough to enjoy the best second half of the season in their history. Today, in a tough, hard-fought match, with both teams weakened by injuries, Milos’s men overcame the traps set by the great coach César Montes, who ultimately saw the home advantage and Fertiberia’s state of mind make them an insurmountable opponent for almost everyone. The match was expected to be a battle of defences, and so it proved: conceding nineteen goals, ten in the first half and nine in the second, is only within the reach of a defensive orchestra led by the wall formed by Pozzer, Sorrentino, Fernández and Spiljak, a quartet that leaves soloist Bruixola with the ideal accompaniment. In attack, Ángel Pérez de Inestrosa was unavailable today, as were the starting wingers Tarrasó and Pocholo, but Linares did his job on the left and Toni Alegre scored twice, defending and attacking statically in the corner while joining the counter-attacks and successive waves with the mastery of the converted centre-back that his physique has made him. Veteran Milos has found the ideal partner for bringing the ball forward and tracking back, an aspect of the game in which the improvement over previous seasons has been exponential. Catching the Valencians without their four-man defence set and tracking back is only within the reach of the league’s very best, and today’s Guadalajara are not one of them. However, the purple side’s resilience, the fleeting appearances of the legendary Hombrados and Márquez’s magic made it 11-10 at half-time. The Valencian side’s start brought the first leads. The defence did not lower its intensity; Sorrentino, weakened and unable to train all week because of work, and Pacheco, together with Pozzer’s battling qualities, opened the way for the captain—the man who is never a starter anywhere, but who has spent his whole life at the club—to show that he knows how to read the day on which he must carry the team on his back. Many of the most decisive goals of the second half were his. The 20-15 score with ten minutes remaining seemed to have settled the match, but Milos’s limited rotation, as he did not take risks with the youngsters, made the game very long for the Valencians. They led 21-19 and had the ball to move within one of Guadalajara with two minutes left. Then another of the ever-presents appeared: the eternal Bruixola closed the shop, ending the uncertainty and adding the thirteenth point of this very comfortable year for the Valencian team. Fertiberia’s next match is a formality of sorts: they must get through the difficult visit to the Palau against the unbeaten FC Barcelona before facing the final three matches before the break—Cuenca and Valladolid at home, with the away derby at Benidorm in between. Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola (42%), Ibrahim and Chueca. Ruben (4), Pocholo, Spiljak (3), Berrios, Pozzer (5), Alegre (1), Angel (2), Juande (3), Sorrentino, Angel Lopez, Pacheco (4), Piró and Sarió BM Guadalajara: Hombrados (32%) and Donderis. Mellado (1), Estebas, Lucas (4), Marquez (5), Sanz, Bozalongo (1), Montoya (2), Adrián, Moya del Saz (1), Se.dano, Mellado and Padilla Officials: Alvarez and Friera. For Fertiberia, Angel and Juande (2) were suspended, while Sanz was suspended twice and Mellado for Guadalajara. Score every 5 minutes: 2-2, 4-5, 7-5, 8-6, 10-7, 11-10. Half-time. 14-11, 16-12, 17-13, 20-15, 21-16, 22-19. Full-time Pabellón Internucleos Ovni. 1,400 spectators. The match was attended by the Mayor of Sagunto, Francesc Fernandez.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.