Monday, December 16, 2024, 10:17 p.m.
Few would have bet on them at the beginning of the championship, but good work has its reward. Laduche and Manci completed the surprise this Monday and will play in the semifinals of the Gernika Punta Cana Winter Series. The Basque-French and the man from Mutriku took advantage of the inertia and confidence they brought from their previous victory to overtake unknown Goitia and Del Río. After their defeat, Markina and Alava have no chance of being in the next phase. Everything has been decided and there will be nothing at stake in the two quarter-final league matches that remain to be played.
The nearly 1,800 spectators who once again filled the stands of the Jai Alai fronton were left wanting a ball because it was the worst match so far. The winners confirmed that they are in a sweet moment, while the defeated suffered the consequences excessively. They lacked taxiing and coupling. Goitia arrived a little more than ten days into the season at the Magic City glass fronton, which has little to do with that of the provincial town, and the activity of the Alava defender dressed in white had been scarce since they played the first game. at the end of October.
If we add to this that Laduche came out with the knife between his teeth and gave a display of placement and finishing, those who dressed in brown could do little. Manci once again recorded a remarkable high with only three unforced errors.
The winners had a pass to the next round in their hands and they did not miss the opportunity. They benefited from the facilities granted to them by their opponents. Del Río’s right hand this time did almost no damage. The Alavés insisted on chipping the ball to try to get it between his opponents, but the Basque-French striker showed him that he had him well studied. He was placed between square seven and eight, and many of the Vitorian’s attempts ended in the basket of his rival, who did not waste the opportunity.
Furthermore, the blues opted to charge back from the first moment to score the goal, they pushed the ball well against the wall and found the defender’s mistake. Their great start allowed them to have the situation under control at all times and they passed the pressure on Goitia and Del Río, who only needed a win to maintain their chances of staying alive in the competition. They didn’t know how to digest it.
In the first set they got a quick three-point lead after Laduche was fine in the rest and invented a backhand drop shot from the sixth box seeing that Goitia had delayed his position to help his partner. Markina’s striker reacted to reduce it to two, but several practically consecutive errors by his teammate caused the game to break down.
A heavy burden
Goitia was not very good on the rebound either and the difference went up to eleven points (4-13). The burden at this point was too heavy for them, but the player from Vitoria finally managed to find a space with his right hand and his forward put a good side through the wall and a serve from two walls that gave them some hope. But the solidity of their rivals allowed them to close the game without problems (8-15).
In the second things were worse for the defeated because they were not able to appease Laduche’s hunger. The Basque-French took another step forward to look for the air game and made their existence bitter. He tried his best to finish off all the positions because they couldn’t overcome him. To highlight the two backhand drop shots that were made from square six, which were the best of the night. Manci continued doing his thing. He provided the security that his teammate needed, covered all the gaps and dominated in his field. And their rivals had to suffer because they were unable to stop the gale that came upon them (5-15).