They suffered, but they got the prize for their effort. Laso and Imaz are the third semifinalists in the Parejas after beating Peio Etxeberria and Rezusta in the Amorebieta fronton. They are Baiko’s first combination in the next round where Aspe already has two. The Colorados knew that they worked hard to straighten out a tough and tense match that was going uphill for them, and in which their rivals also gave them facilities. The one from Zenotz and the one from Bergara have another option to not be left out of the competition this Sunday (5:00 p.m.) in the Bizkaia fronton against Peña II and Mariezkurrena II, who won in Zumaia.
The pressure for what was at stake was great throughout the entire contest and the number of important errors by the protagonists. Imaz was the most consistent of all, despite the fact that in the first half he had trouble picking up the pace after being out for three weeks. Laso defended well but he looked stiff and missed eleven balls. He took risks and things did not go his way in the first half, but the man from Bizkarreta-Gerendiain is one of those who does not wrinkle and he focused on the second half to be more productive. He was decisive in the key moments of the contest and his was the hook goal that gave them the pass.
The Blues had the game on track, but their gifts allowed the Colorados to get hooked on the clash and pay the consequences. Peio Etxeberria was not at all comfortable with his left foot, and although he maintained his composure in the first half, he went from more to less. He failed to capitalize on the dominance exercised by Rezusta for many minutes. After achieving a five-point lead (7-12), everything began to get complicated due to his downturn in play. Laso and Imaz grew and with a couple of shots they even got ahead on the scoreboard at the second mandatory break (18-14).
Comfortable victory in Zumaia
Aspe’s men threw in the rest because they saw that the match was slipping away from them and they managed to turn the situation around because Laso tried to end the match quickly and failed. At this point in the contest, the workload was very important on the part of the four protagonists, and when the blues were cherishing victory (19-21) the one from Bizkarreta-Gerendiain found the way. He gave the final blow with three matured goals that raised to 801 the number of balls that were crossed in about an hour and a half of play
Much less effort had to be made by Peña II and Mariezkurrena II to stay alive in the competition. They beat Urrutikoetxea and Albisu with great authority (10-22), thus exhausting their options. Berriozar’s defender set the pace of the game and opened many holes that his teammate knew how to take advantage of perfectly. The one from Tolosa finished twelve goals. The start of the game for the Blues was much more forceful and this time they managed to maintain their performance and pace against the Biscayan player and the player from Ataun, who wanted to but couldn’t. For the equator of the contest the difference between the winners was seven goals, and they managed to increase it in the second part of the clash. In total, 556 balls were crossed in just over an hour of play.
Baiko’s men will arrive much fresher at their next commitment in which the last place in the semifinals will be at stake. We will have to see how Peio Etxeberria and Rezusta recover from the waste made in a day and a half.
