A losing end to the journey for Alser Puerto Sagunto

Alser Puerto Sagunto lost 33–29 to Academia Octavio of Vigo in the match that brought their two-year spell in Liga Asobal to a close. The match was practically decided in the first half, which ended with the Galician side eight goals ahead. According to red-and-white coach Estornell, “the fatigue accumulated during the journey caused the mistakes that took us half a match to correct, and by then it was too late”.

This typical match between a relegated team and another that had done its job served as a positive opportunity for the younger members of the squad to take centre stage, and they repaid the manager’s confidence in full. Goalkeeper Samuel played the entire first half, making ten saves and putting in a performance worthy of a goalkeeper his age, with a 28% save rate, while the wings Alegre and Moya del Saz scored two and three goals respectively. Even so, the ever-depleted red-and-white back line meant that the rotations at left back were different from usual: in addition to the absences of Berrios, Cid and Sorrentino, who had already missed several rounds, Moya Florido was also unavailable and, following an illness, was six kilos below his usual weight.

Ultimately, Alser were able to improve the score in the second half and reduce the deficit to the final 33–29.

Now that the sporting cycle has come to an end, activity at the red-and-white club remains focused on the boardroom, where this June the club’s survival as an elite organisation or its descent into the amateur leagues will be decided.

It is time for the politicians and businesspeople to take the desired centre stage, after the players have turned the spotlight away from themselves.

Academia Octavio: Diaz, Garcia Lloria. Carro (1, 1p), Nantes (1), Martinez (3), Dasilva (2), Cacheda (1), Sedano (6, 2p), Fernandez, Polakovic (3), Gonzalez (4, 2p), Cerqueira (3), Barbón (8) and Frade (1).

Alser Puerto Sagunto: Samuel, Bruixola. Moya del Saz (3), Ruiz (2), Stefanovic (4), Sifré (1), Dzokic, Tarrasó (4), Muiña (3), Alegre (2), Nebot, Angel (3), Prendes (6) and Latorre (1).

Referees: Merino and Moyano. Two-minute suspensions for Octavio’s Cerqueira and Frade (2), and for Alser Puerto Sagunto’s Sifre (2), Dozkic, Nebot, Angel and Prendes.

Score at five-minute intervals:  1–1, 6–3, 9–6, 11–6, 14–8, 18–10 Half-time 19–13, 22–16, 26–17, 28–21, 29–25, 33–29 full time.

 Central Pavilion of As Travesas, Vigo

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.