ShopRecoletas Salud At. Valladolid and IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun win and keep their fight for the top spot after a great Saturday in Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL
Liga NEXUS ENERGIA ASOBAL
Buzzer-beater draw between Bathco BM. Torrelavega and REBI Balonmano Cuenca (31-31)
Bathco BM. Torrelavega secured a point at the buzzer in their visit to El Sargal after drawing against REBI Balonmano Cuenca (31-31). A goal from Nicolai Colunga with just seconds remaining decided one of the great matches of this sixth round of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL, marked by the excitement of the finish and the good performance of Lidio Jiménez's charges, putting one of the teams from this early part of the season on the ropes.
They were able to match the opponent's high pace on the court, becoming strong through verticality and good decision-making. The 'Orange Squad' threatened to break the scoreboard past the halfway point of the first half, but REBI Balonmano Cuenca reacted and, after a 6-2 run, drew 17-15 before halftime, with a good Decsi Gabor in goal and contributions from Rajmond Toth and Lucas Moscariello in offense.
This small lead, amid back-and-forth and on a stage of maximum equality, lasted until the 58th minute. Bathco BM. Torrelavega, with a strong Nicolai Colunga and the contribution of the Prokop-Cordiés duo on the left wing, managed the vertigo of the key moments well to sign a decisive 0-2 run and close the points sharing. Thus, the El Sargal team reaches three points in the overall standings and Jacobo Cuétara's team sits fifth with seven points.
Recoletas Salud At. Valladolid wins again and will remain leader of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL (30-26)
Recoletas Salud At. Valladolid also added two points in this sixth round and keeps pace with IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun at the top of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL overall standings. David Pisonero's squad maintains the lead, enjoying a sweet moment, matching their best streak in ASOBAL handball history by overcoming BM. Caserío Ciudad Real (30-26) this weekend, one of the main protagonists of this early regular season phase.
In a context of maximum demand, the 'Blue Gladiators', who celebrated the debut of pivot Andrew Lawrence, continue finding tools to maintain control of the game on the 40x20 court, especially at Huerta del Rey, which moves to the rhythm set by its players. On the court and in goal, with Benedek Lazslo Nagy growing ever larger between the posts. The Pucela goalkeeper was again above 40% effectiveness to lead his team, being the foundation of a great collective performance. His interventions were key for Recoletas Salud At. Valladolid to take the initiative from the first actions of the match.
Goals from Asier Iribar and Jorge Serrano on the opponent's court completed the good momentum of the home team, who opened a gap on the scoreboard before halftime. Despite Nagy, BM. Caserío Ciudad Real kept building to close the gap on the scoreboard, without excessive pressure, also using the 7:6 positional attack card. From there and thanks to Juan Bar's interventions, who returned to Huerta del Rey, they set a 23-21 lead with ten minutes left. David Pisonero's charges managed the situation well to close their sixth consecutive victory in the professional competition.
Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto delivers their best match of the season and beats Viveros Herol BM. Nava (39-24)
Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto returned this afternoon to the winning path after clearly defeating Viveros Herol BM. Nava in one of the direct duels of this sixth round of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL (39-24). Great game from Sergio Mallo's team, their best since returning to the elite of Spanish men's club handball, showing four points in the overall standings and distancing themselves decisively from the bottom positions.
Reward for a solid, gradually built match, always leading on the scoreboard, minimizing the many resources of the visitors. The interventions of Daniel Martínez, surpassing 30% effectiveness in goal, the ever-reliable inspiration of Antonio Capitán, and Jorge Romanillos's ability to command from six meters were key.
Carlos Villagrán's team polished their game plan with goals from Maiko Antonio Vazquez and Javier Carrión until halftime, 17-14, with everything still open. The second half, however, told a completely different story, with Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto reducing the match to their ability to unbalance. With a 12-4 run in the first 15 minutes, the players of Pabellón Polideportivo Port de Sagunt broke the duel, which finally ended clearly at 39-24.
IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun wins and returns to lead the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL (31-34)
IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun recovers the lead of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL after overcoming HORNEO BM. Alicante away this afternoon (31-34). Álex Mozas's team had to work hard to maintain their unbeaten status at Pitiu Rochel, in a match tinged with Bidasoa yellow, despite the good performance of the Alicante side, improving as the game went on. After an opening phase of back-and-forth (2-2 at the 5th minute), the visitors took the initiative on the scoreboard, maintaining it definitively thereafter.
They kept feeding their lead through the hands of Gorka Nieto, the brain of the entire tactical ecosystem, Xavier González, omnipresent, and Iñaki Cavero, showing firepower and reliability on the right wing. HORNEO BM. Alicante never stopped working and, after halftime, with Iván Montoya and Hamza Abdalla as leaders, they reduced the deficit to -2, creating ten final minutes of equality and excitement. The experience of the professional competition leaders ultimately prevailed, deciding the match and taking the two points from the always difficult Pitiu Rochel court.
Cajasol Ángel Ximénez Puente Genil and Dicorpebal Logroño La Rioja sign a spectacular draw (32-32)
Cajasol Ángel Ximénez Puente Genil and Dicorpebal Logroño La Rioja signed a spectacular draw this afternoon, taking the match at Pabellón Municipal Alcalde Miguel Salas to the limit, true to the maximum equality that marks the rhythm of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL 26/27 (32-32). A result decided in the last five minutes of the match after overall dominance by Toni Malla's charges on the scoreboard.
In fact, they never relinquished the initiative after a great start, imposing a high game pace, showing at times their best version. The interventions of Álvaro de Hita and the offensive inspiration of Daniel Esteves and Mario Dorado laid the foundations of this performance, amid many attempts by Miguel Ángel Velasco's team to turn the scoreboard around before the decisive stretch.
It was then that the Riojans shifted up a gear and signed a key 0-4 run to equalize the score, with Xoan Ledo growing large in goal and Álvaro Preciado being the perfect conductor of the positional game. All this set the stage for three final minutes of enormous excitement that ultimately ended with a points split. Cajasol Ángel Ximénez Puente Genil reaches three points in the overall standings, debuting in front of their fans, while Dicorpebal Logroño La Rioja already holds nine.
