Elda Prestigio saw off CBF Costa del Sol Málaga 23:20 in the Liga Guerras Iberdrola on Tuesday evening at their home court. The hosts moved clear on four points from two matches, while Málaga dropped to fifth with two points after one win and a draw.
Elda had been in decent form ahead of this fixture, winning both of their opening league games — 24:22 against Beti-Onak and 22:19 versus Lanzarote Zonsamas. Málaga, by contrast, have struggled of late, losing three of their last five matches including a heavy 17:22 defeat away at Bera Bera on Saturday.
The match itself was tighter than the recent form suggested. Elda managed to hold their nerve when Málaga pushed back, and here's the thing — they didn't need to turn it on dramatically. Just enough control when it mattered. The home side had nothing to do all evening in terms of panic, but neither did they cruise.
Our prediction had gone the other way, we'll admit that. We'd backed Málaga at 53 per cent confidence, and by then you'd have thought the away side's inconsistent results were masking something better. They didn't travel to make up the numbers, but they simply couldn't find their rhythm against a disciplined Elda defence.
That victory puts Elda top of the table in terms of points, though Málaga remain in touch. The gap is only two points, and neither side has played three games yet. It's early days, and the league hasn't settled into any sort of pattern.
