The Fraikin Granollers became the first semifinalist of the Copa del Rey handball that is played in Antequeraafter winning this Friday by 36-37 to a Bidasoa Irun to force a penalty shootout. An agonizing end that few could have imagined with eleven minutes remaining in regulation time, with the four goal lead (24-28) that Granollers had. However, a simple exclusion was enough, the two minutes with which Oriol Rey was sanctioned, to completely change the script of an encounter andin which the Vallesanos seemed destined for victory.
If until then Granollers had found a safe path to the goal, it was in the figures of the Chilean pivot Esteban Salinas, scorer of eight goals, and the inexhaustible Antonio García, who closed the match with seven goals, with the exclusion of Rey, his ideas were clouded in attack. A circumstance that Bidasoa Irún did not miss to return the tables to the scoreboard thanks to goalkeeper Xoan Ledo and, above all, of the central Adrián Fernández, who with three consecutive goals established the 24-24 less than six minutes to go.
Equality that was maintained until just over a minute from the end, when Antonio García hit the crossbar with a penalty shot, that left Bidasoa with a somewhat advantage (33-32) and with possession of the last ball. But those of Jacobo Cuétara did not know how to close the contest with a failed shot by Chilean Rodrigo Salinas, brother of Granollers player Esteban Salinas, that Antonio García did not miss this time to take the game to extra time (33-33) with a goal in the absence of the end.
An extra time that as the regulation it was resolved in some exciting final moments in which Granollers appealed to their defensive strength, from the hand of some immeasurable Oriol Rey and Joan Amigó. In fact, a stolen ball by Amigó with less than a minute remaining in the second part of extra time seemed to secure the victory (36-379 against Granollers. However, one last emotion was still missing, since the loss of the ball by the Catalans made possible a final attack by Bidasoa Irún, which Adrián Fernández did not know how to transform into a goal. A ruling that certified the victory of a Fraikin Granollers who will face this Saturday in the semifinals with the winner of the duel between Iberoquinoa Antequera and Ángel Ximénez Puente Genil.