An apathetic Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto lose to Cuatro Rayas Valladolid

Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto lost 26-20 to Cuatro Rayas Valladolid, a direct rival who were superior, while the red-and-whites put in a modest and ineffective performance that did not help them fight for the two points. The opening stages of the match were evenly contested. Valladolid opened the scoring, but after a save by Pablo and two goals from Moriñigo, who was returning to his former home, the score was turned around (2-3) after the first few minutes. The home side did not let their heads drop and soon came from behind to take control of the match thanks to goals from Eilert, making it 6-5 on the scoreboard. Once the halfway point of the first half had passed, the red-and-whites experienced their most difficult moments in attack, being reduced to one player after Chernov was suspended and later Chispi. Fertiberia could not find a way to score, hitting the posts and coming up against an in-form Lamariano's saves. Vicent Nogués therefore called a timeout to withstand the home side's attacks, as they opened up a five-goal lead (11-6). The red-and-white side could do nothing in the final five minutes of the first half; turnovers and defensive errors did not help them reduce the gap, and they went into the dressing room five goals down (13-8). The second half began as the first had ended: Juan Carlos Pastor's men dominated the match, supported by their fans and by the saves made by their goalkeeper. The home defence neutralised Latorre and Milasevic's play, causing continual turnovers and a slow pace from the red-and-whites. From the 25th minute onwards, Valladolid decided to step up and make home advantage count against a Fertiberia side lacking confidence in their play, extending their lead to 21-13. Shortly afterwards, the red-and-whites suffered two injuries to Tarrasó and Berrios, meaning that less regular players had to take to the court. In the end, the home side proved too strong and achieved their objective of taking both points, with the final score 26-20. In short, Fertiberia lose some momentum away from the Ovni and fail to secure a victory that would have mathematically guaranteed survival. Their next match will be the Copa del Rey semi-final in Logroño on Friday the 3rd at 21:30, and a few days later they will return to league action against Cangas Frigoríficos del Morrazo. Cuatro Rayas Valladolid: Lamariano, Héctor Tomás, Megías, Krivokapic (2), Vega (1), Eilert (9), Fernando (10), Porras (3), Peciña (1), Ávila, Víctor Alonso, Félix García, Lacasa, Roberto Pérez, Bozovic and César Pérez. Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Bruixola, Pablo, Samuel, Serrano (3), Rubén Ruiz (1), Moriñigo (3), Tarrasó (1), Milasevic (1), Berrios (2), Chernov (1), Toni Alegre (2), Nebot, Fernández (2), Chispi (2), Vallés (1) and Latorre (1). Referees: Alvaro Ruíz González and David Zapico Fernández. Players suspended for Cuatro Rayas Valladolid: Peciña and Krivokapic; for Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Serrano, Rubén Ruiz, Chernov, Fernández and Chispi (2, DD). Score at five-minute intervals: 2-3, 4-4, 6-5, 8-5, 11-6, 13-8 Half-time, 16-9, 18-12, 21-13, 22-17, 25-19, 26-20. Full time. Huerta del Rey Sports Centre.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.