A poor start to the second half condemns Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto lost 31-32 this afternoon to Bada Huesca in a match in which Fertiberia showed their best form in the first half, but were caught out by the visitors' high intensity at the start of the second, allowing them to manage their lead until the end.

The match began with five evenly matched minutes, but the red-and-whites quickly opened up a gap with three consecutive counter-attacks (6-3). The Huesca side were unable to break through the Valencian defence, so Nolasco was forced to stop the match with a time-out at 8-4. The connection between Malasinskas and Nacho Plaza proved effective against the opposing defence around the pivot, which could not halt the home side's good run. In the final minutes of the first half, when Fertiberia went through their toughest spell, Bruixola emerged as the protagonist in goal, helping the team maintain a three-goal lead. The bad news for Fertiberia was Malasinskas's right-ankle injury after a heavy collision with the Bada Huesca defence. With all this, the Valencians went into the dressing room level at 16-16.

The start of the second half was not what Patxi Martí had expected, as Bada Huesca turned the score around with a 0-5 run after taking advantage of Nacho Plaza's suspension. The Valencian coach was quick to call a time-out after seeing the red-and-whites take to the court without intensity. Fertiberia's mixed defence managed to unsettle the attack led by Rochel, as the red-and-whites cut the deficit to three goals. Despite the good home reaction, the Huesca side did not let up and, thanks to goals from an accurate Novelle, managed to maintain their lead. In the closing stages, Fertiberia dug deep, despite Malasinskas's absence, to put Bada Huesca under pressure, reducing their lead to just two goals (27-29), but it was not enough to prevent Fertiberia from losing 31-32.

Fertiberia's next fixture will be the fifth round against BM Benidorm, from 18:00, a team managed by former red-and-white player Fernando Latorre.

Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto: Sebastiá, Bruixola, Bernatonis, Malasinskas (2), Rubén Ruiz, Sladic (5), Moriñigo (6), Tarrasó (2), Álvarez (4), Berrios (2), Plaza (9), Toni Alegre (1), Nebot, Fernández, Dukic and Roque.

Bada Huesca: Ugarte, Ancizu (2), Rochel (2), Casado, Savic, Mugerza, Novelle (11), Marcelo (9), Molina (1), Melida, Nolasco, Cartón (3), Pablo Hernández, Escribano (3), Mira and Rasic (1).

Bernatonis, Berrios, Plaza and Fernández were suspended for Fertiberia BM Puerto Sagunto, and Marcelo, Mira and Rasic for Bada Huesca.

Score at five-minute intervals:  2-2, 7-4, 11-8, 11-10, 14-11, 16-16 Half-time 17-21, 20-23, 22-27, 26-28, 27-29, 31-32 Full-time. Polideportivo Municipal Internúcleos “Ovni”. 1,500 spectators.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.