Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto freezes in the face of Naturhouse’s superiority

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto suffered a heavy 24–37 defeat against Naturhouse La Rioja in a match devoid of history, in which La Rioja’s superiority was evident on the court from the opening stages.

Starting a match against a Champions League opponent by giving away four balls for easy counter-attacks is tantamount to losing any chance of a surprise from the outset. So much so that, in the seventh minute, with the score at 2–6, Pachi Martí called his first time-out and completely changed his starting line-up. Naturhouse simply continued in the same vein, using their defensive intensity and Kapellin to build an advantage. For the Valencians, only the ever-reliable Corzo was able to score fluently, reaching nine goals and becoming the match’s top scorer.

A conclusive 10–18 score at half-time left the match more than settled. However, Naturhouse’s extensive rotations, memories of previous visits to the Ovni and their draw in Cuenca meant that the La Rioja side did not ease off, and not even Bruixola’s saves could stem the bleeding. Only Sayad’s good work, with four goals, and the spirit of captain Ruben Ruiz, along with the usual fighters Ángel and Nebot, prevented the result from being worse. Martí waited until the 55th minute to give young Chueca a boost in goal; he was the second-choice goalkeeper today because Ibrahim was unavailable. This, together with Bernatonis’ minutes as he regained match fitness and appearances from youngsters Piró and Sarió, were the only positive notes for a Fertiberia side that appears selective in its efforts and either earns points or suffers heavy defeats against the leading teams in the league.

The next official fixture is a chance to avoid getting back on track against formidable Barcelona, but before then, next Thursday 22 at 19:30 at the Ovni, the Qatar world runners-up await them. Two matches, along with the international break, should help the Valencians organise their thoughts and recharge their batteries while they await their league rivals.

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola (1), Chueca, Bernatonis (2), R. Ruiz (3), Sladic, Pocholo, Sayad (4), Berrios, Corzo (9), Pozzer, Alegre, Nebot, Ángel, Sasa, Piró and Sarió (1).

Naturhouse La Rioja: Kapellin and Aguinagalde. Miguel (2), Rocas (2), Val (3), Cacheda (2), Vigo, Garabaya (2), Molina (6), Malmagro (5), Stenmalm (4), Pedro Rguez (3), Angel (6), Garciandia (2)

Referees: José Luis Fernández Fernández and Antonio Martín Franco (Asturias Referees’ Association). Naturhouse players Miguel, Garabaya, Stenmalm and Garciandia were suspended, while Fertiberia’s Bernatonis (2) and Pozzer were suspended.

Score at five-minute intervals: 2–4, 2–7, 3–10, 6–12, 7–16, 10–18. Half-time, 11–21, 14–24, 16–28, 20–31, 21–33, 24–37. Full-time.

Municipal Internucleos Sports Centre, 900 spectators.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.