From the moment the teams stepped onto the court, the match offered a grueling pace at the Lasesarre Sports Center. AtticGo CBM Elche Zubileta Evolution faced Rocasa Barakaldo in a battle where both sides pressed hard, but neither side could capitalize on its moments to swing the result in its favor.
The duel opened with a shared intensity and a few technical slips on both ends. Ilicitanas managed to post the first tally and spent large stretches of the first half slightly ahead on the scoreboard.
AtticGo Elche’s resistance is not enough for Rocasa (25-26)
In the early stages, Rocasa accumulated the two goals in quick succession (5-7, min. 18), taking advantage of a few loose plays. Although a promising attack run followed by a counterattack from Rocamora helped extend the lead, Nerea Gil answered with a sharp strike that closed the door on a larger gap.
Barakaldo’s disciplined defense limited Elche’s chances to level, and the visitors responded with renewed energy. Their offense found rhythm as Moré struck twice in quick succession, pushing the visitors to a 8-11 margin by the 28th minute.
Equality to the end
As the clock moved forward, a two-goal burst, including a seven-meter conversion and a stretch with the game at zero, pulled the score back to a tight rhythm. Elche clung to a slim lead at halftime, 10-11, setting the stage for a tense second half.
Returning after the break, Elche often faced a sharper Basque defense. Morales had to work harder to create openings, while González, Barakaldo’s goalkeeper, proved a difficult task for the attackers. The dynamics swung on a pivot between initiative and reaction, with the visitors sometimes forcing the pace and other times absorbing pressure as Barakaldo shifted to counterpunches.
Handball Elche starts its current and future project
Before González showed his best moments, Elche’s offense delivered three goals to move within three at 11-14 around the 39th minute. The shock of the moment was not fully exploited, and Barakaldo regained the initiative, taking the lead for the first time with a 5-1 run led by Nerea Gil, moving ahead 16-15 near the 46th minute.
Elche’s pride resurfaced during anxious moments. Paula Agulló converted a smooth finish, followed by a resilient team effort to withstand numerical disadvantage due to exclusions. Moré impressed from distance, and María Flores provided a key spark when needed.
Rocamora’s squad pressed the danger, turning a fragile 19-17 edge into a narrow 19-20, which opened the door to a late victory. However, the defense held firm in the final minutes as Barakaldo found gaps, and Elche’s final assault with 41 seconds left proved insufficient. A quick strategic free kick by Zaldua was blocked by Morales, and Barakaldo clinched the win in a dramatic finish, marking a third consecutive loss for AtticGo Elche in the Iberdrola Warriors League.
DATA SHEET
BARAKALDO: Gonzalez; Ezbida, Velasco (2), Zaldua (2), Berasategi, Sarrionandia-Ibarra (1), Molano, Moles, Gil (9), Pugibó, Bengoetxea (2), Samaniego, Permach (1) and Fernández (3).
ATTICGO ELCHE: Morales; Rodrigues, Zhukova (1), Agulló (3), Van Zijl (1), Oppedal (1), Guilabert, Méndez, Andreu, So Delgado (3), Flores (2), Benítez (5), Wolfs, More (4) and Teplintsky.
EVERY 5′ POINTS: 1-1, 2-3, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 (rest); 11-12, 12-14, 15-15, 16-16, 19-17 and 20-20.
REFEREES: Hoz Fernández and Riloba Pereda. They excluded Zaldua, Permach (2) and Gil on the local side, and Teplintsky, Flores, Oppedal and Moré on the visiting side.
CORNER: Lasesarre Sports Center (Barakaldo).