Altuna III and Imaz will play this Sunday against Zabala and Mariezkurrena II at Navarra Arena the final of the Caixabank Masters after imposing up last night … in their respective semifinals. It will be the third final of this tournament for Altuna III and Imaz, who lost the previous two, while Mariezkurrena II will seek his third txapela.
Zabala and Mariezkurrena II achieved their classification with relative comfort thanks mainly to the huge punch exhibited by the defender of Berriozar, which was scored to seven goals. His dominance gave Zabala quite options against an Elordi who only appeared in attack in the second half of the game, while Albisu, tremendously required by the stakes of Mariezkurrena II and for a material that took a lot of height, he had enough to stand firm.
Two errors of Mariezkurrena II in the first measures did not presage the barbarity of the game that the Navarrese defender was going to play. These two gifts allowed what was going to be the only advantage of the Colorados throughout the game (2-1).
Little by little, Berriozar was taking the air to the meeting and began to dominate, keeping Albisu almost always from painting seven back, which allowed Zabala to enjoy good balls to finish the goal. Three followed by Riojan, one of them serve, supposed takeoff (2-7).
Elordi achieved his first goal with a volley (3-7), but a perfect two walls from Logroño led to another 0-3 partial that continued to open a gap (3-9).
The definitive takeoff came with another part of 0-5 in which Albisu, constantly required by Mariezkurrena II, could not take several balls to good (6-16).
From there in the end, Elordi decided to risk a little more and be more aggressive in the auction, achieving three consecutive goals, one of them serve, who cut the difference (9-16).
However, Mariezkurrena II’s domain was such that he made any type of continuity impossible. Remarkable his ball behind for 10-18 and the subsequent stop of Zabala on squatting, a boat soon. The Riojan, who went unnoticed by the exhibition of his partner, who will play his fourth final in search of his third title in this tournament, signed his remarkable game with a magnificent left that sealed the pass to the final.
In the second semifinal Altuna III and Imaz proved to have left their physical problems behind and defeated Jaka and Zabaleta. Clearing doubts about the state of Altuna on Wednesday in Ordizia, remained to see how Imaz’s hands answered and they did not resented. The Oiartzuarra not only kept his pulse with a peel like Zabaleta – he shows a ball above the rebound – but ended up imposing himself and that did not enter the accounts of the blue.
In front, Altuna III was marking territory little by little against an irregular Jaka and, along with Imaz, broke the game from 7-7 to 16-9.
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