Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto comes from behind again in an epic match

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto beat Cuatro Rayas Valladolid 26–25 to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, in a hard-fought match in which they took the lead only when securing victory. The match began somewhat coldly for the red-and-whites, who were behind from the outset at 0–2 because of defensive errors. During the first 10 minutes, the match was not going as desired: the defence failed to stop the Valladolid side’s attacks, and they exploited the gaps to build a lead and move 3–5 ahead on the scoreboard. Fertiberia showed no signs of recovery, so Vicent Nogués soon called a time-out to instruct his players and regain control of the match. It was not until the 20th minute that the red-and-whites showed their fighting spirit, reducing the deficit to 8–10 thanks to Pablo’s saves and their success in attack. From the 25th minute onwards, the match entered a different phase as a result of the suspensions suffered by the Valencians, which the Valladolid side did not fail to exploit. Despite this, Fertiberia reached half-time just one goal behind at 13–14, offering a glimmer of hope of completing the comeback. After the interval, the red-and-white team came onto the court more focused but could not stop the visitors’ attacks, and they moved 15–17 ahead. From the 15th minute onwards, the red-and-whites were not entirely successful in converting their attacking chances, but nevertheless remained two goals behind with clear opportunities to come back. From the 25th minute onwards, the score tightened to 24–24 thanks to Bruixola’s inspiration in goal and Tarrasó’s crucial goals. On the other side, Valladolid tried to halt the red-and-white onslaught. Finally, in the closing minutes, the home side went ahead for the first time in the entire match, at 25–24, thanks to a change in mentality and outstanding defensive work that withstood the opposition’s attacks. In this way, they completed the comeback in an uphill match and reached the quarter-finals with a hard-fought victory over Cuatro Rayas Valladolid, 26–25. In short, Fertiberia has demonstrated the excellent rapport between its style of play and its supporters, and that this season the Ovni is its fortress. The next match will be played at home again on Saturday 8 against Frigoríficos Morrazo Cangas at 18:30, in a match corresponding to the 13th round of the ASOBAL League. Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola, Samuel, Pablo, Moriñigo (1), Tarrasó (7), Chernov (2), Ángel Fernández, Vallés, Serrano, Ruiz (1), Milasevic (5), Berrios (6), Toni Alegre, Nebot, Tello and Latorre (2). Cuatro Rayas Valladolid: Porras (5), Peciña (1), Lacasa, Eilert (4), Fernando (3), Krivokapic (7), César, Megias (3), Ávila (1), Roberto Pérez, Héctor, Milos, Félix, César Pérez and Víctor Alonso (1). Referees: Javier Álvarez Mata and Ion Bustamante López. Suspensions for Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Iker Serrano, Tarrasó, Berrios, Chernov (2), Ángel Fernández and Latorre; and for Cuatro Rayas Valladolid: Peciña (3), Milos and Victor Alonso. Score at five-minute intervals: 0–2, 4–5, 5–9, 8–11, 9–12, 13–14 Half-time 15–17, 17–20, 20–23, 22–24, 24–24, 26–25. Full time. Municipal Sports Centre 1500.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.