Seven goals away from home sounded impossible for most teams, but EÓN Horneo Alicante pressed on with belief in the final game of the season and earned a shot at ASOBAL promotion. In the opening stretch of the second half, the Alicante squad peered at the scoreboard and found a glimmering 15-21 that hinted at a possible turn of events.
Hope tasted sweet, yet the hardest moment always arrives last. Exhaustion crept in after forty minutes of pride and sacrifice, not to win but to leave the court with heads held high. The distance from the first leg loomed large, and in the end Unicaja Banco Sinfín prevailed in the playoffs, ensuring they remain in the top tier of national handball.
The Alicante side made their intent clear from the outset: fight for everything and force a draw. They accomplished this despite conceding an early goal from Herrero. The Cantabrian strike was answered by three successful finishes from Alberto González, Feuchtmann, and David Jiménez, shifting control of the duel toward EÓN.
Luis Parro’s team sought to find an opening and settle the nerves at La Albericia early. The pressure showed itself in misdirected passes and slippages that kept Alicante from exploiting their three advantages. The score moved from 5-8 to 11-12 as Sinfín maintained composure and refused to surrender.
EON’s dramatic push unfolded in the final minutes of the first half. If David Jiménez, already with five goals, continued to lead the charge, his eight-goal tally would come after a crucial run of saves and a well-coordinated offensive effort from the visitors, lifting them to a four-point margin (13-17, min. 28) and giving the locals a headache to solve.
Cruz’s seven-meter field goal and the struggle to win the final scrimmage dampened Alicante’s spirit and physical stamina, dampening the earlier surge.
One goal away from the tie
Returning from the locker room, David Jiménez kept the heat on with precision in his left-footed strikes, sustaining EÓN’s momentum and making the draw feel within reach after a few tense exchanges from both sides. After another rapid strike by Jiménez at 15-21, the narrative neared a turning point.
Yet Infinite did not yield. A quick seven-meter opportunity allowed Parro’s men to escape the crowd and reduce the deficit to a single possession after a contentious sequence that included a disputed foul call and a successful shot.
From possession to possession, from defense to defense, EON found itself gasping. The dependence on Jiménez grew heavy, and the Alicante attack faltered under pressure, giving Sinfín the room to breathe as the moment of triumph seemed to slip away. In the end, EON won the night 31-32, but the aggregate result remained unfavorable.