AtticGo Elche missed a valuable chance this midweek to climb higher in the Guerreras-Iberdrola League. The match against Porriño remained close until the very end, with Elche leading at 18-20 as the clock ticked down to five minutes and the verdict still unclear. Porriño pressed back, turning the final stretch into a tense battle, but the Galician side could not break through their opponents’ defense until late. The result pinned Porriño with a 22-20 victory, and the encounter left both teams tied on 21 points in the standings at that moment. The coach, Joaquín Rocamora, acknowledged the need to rest some key players ahead of a demanding run, including a future European test. Dutch-born playmaker? No, rather a strategic pause, as Elche eyeed a continued push with a European tie coming up against Atlético Guardés. The second leg from the green-clad squad was not far off, with a Saturday 19:30 clash scheduled at A Guarda, a response to the first leg played at the Esperanza Lag pavilion the previous Sunday.
Rocamora, speaking after the match, pointed to the belief within AtticGo that Elche is far from finished, despite a tough encounter with a rival determined to deny them a top position. The Elche bench bore the weight of decisions in a game where guarantees were scarce and every possession counted. The coach described how the team had to cope without several important players who are being managed carefully as the season intensifies, including a backline option and a key winger who could not take part in this one. The absence of these players opened opportunities for younger teammates to step up, a trend Rocamora has encouraged in recent matches.
Paola Bernabé and Alexandra Dos Nascimento, both versatile wingers for AtticGo, did not have typical minutes in this match, while Maria Flores was also rotated out, leaving room for others to impress. Rocamora leaned on the broader squad, using several less familiar faces to test depth and resilience, with Paula Agulló earning minutes on the left flank and delivering three goals on a night when the team needed a spark. Angela Rodríguez also saw action from the second line, contributing to a resilience that kept Elche in the fight during the first half and into the second.
Elche began the game with a brisk tempo, trading scores with Porriño through the opening minutes. The early pace suggested a balanced contest, but Porriño would later pull ahead briefly before Elche reasserted control. The first half ended with a 11-13 score in favor of Porriño, and the second period opened with Elche reversing the trend to push to a 14-14 stalemate at the 40th minute. From there, the pendulum swung in Porriño’s direction as the home team built momentum and moved to 15-17, then 17-19 and 18-20 as the clock wound down. Meanwhile, the green-haired warriors from Elche fought to close the gap, a relentless effort that kept the match in question until the dying moments.
Yet in the decisive stretch, AtticGo Elche’s offensive ideas failed to produce the necessary scores. Porriño stretched the interval with four unanswered goals in the closing minutes, sealing a 22-20 win that left Elche with a five-place position in the table if results elsewhere held. The outcome leaves open questions about the playoff path and potential rematches against the Galicians, depending on outcomes across the remaining regular-season fixtures. What matters most for Elche at this moment is the upcoming European clash against Atlético Guardés on Saturday, a match that will define momentum and confidence as the team looks to balance domestic and continental ambitions.
A DATA SHEET distributed after the match lists the players involved for Porriño, including Carolina Bono, Micaela Casasola, Alicia Campo, Malena Vallés, and others, highlighting the squad’s balanced scoring threat. AtticGo Elche’s lineup featured Pamela Rodrigues, Nicola Morales, Angela Rodríguez, Katia Zhukova, Paula Agulló, Tessa Van Zijl, Lisa Oppedal, and several others, with Nuria Andreu and Raquel Moré among the top scorers. The scoreboard sequence followed a clear pattern: 1-2, 4-3, 5-4, 8-7, 9-8, 11-13, then the late surge by Porriño to 22-20. Referees Andreu Marin and Ignacio Garcia oversaw the game at the Municipality of Porriño pavilion.
In sum, the night offered a vivid portrait of a mid-season battle where experience and depth mattered. Elche showed resilience, but Porriño’s late burst proved decisive, setting the stage for a critical European date and a continued push for a higher finish in the league standings, with both teams likely to be watched closely in coming weeks by fans and analysts alike.