The debut of Zonzamas Plus Car Lanzarote in the Liga Guerreras Iberdrola began with a heartfelt minute of silence in memory of Juan Ramón de León Tejera, the recently deceased former president of the club. Following this, the match commenced, with an intense clash between the home side and Mecalia Atlético Guardés from the very first moment.Guardés struck first with a swift counterattack, but an immediate response from Brenda set the tone for a Zonzamas side that did not back down. Solid local defence at six meters, along with Valentina Menucci’s interventions in goal, kept Lanzarote in contention, even taking the lead at 7:13 minutes (4-3) thanks to Gleinys Reyes.
Competitive First Half
The goal exchanges maintained parity, with Sancha scoring from the penalty spot while Nahomi Márquez’s exclusions posed a challenge for the home team. Nonetheless, Juanmi Pérez’s side managed to stretch their advantage to a maximum of 9-7 after Lorena Zarco scored in the 21st minute, prompting Galician coach Ana Seabra to call a timeout with the score at 10-8 in the 24th minute. Zonzamas held their nerve and went into halftime with an encouraging lead (12-10).
Second Half Dynamics
Upon resuming, the Lanzarote team surprised with a 5:1 defence led by Paula García, disrupting the visitors’ flow. The Guardés struggled to find the net beyond the penalty line, while Marie Louis and Reyes kept the home side buoyant (20-17, min. 45). However, the visitors quickly reacted: Seabra’s side opted to attack with seven players, and with the pace of Ania Ramos and Cifuentes’ reliability from seven meters, they turned the tide (21-22, min. 50).
Decisive Moments
Zonzamas felt the strain and lacked precision in the crucial final minutes, hitting the woodwork against a steadfast Mínguez in goal. The more experienced Guardés team controlled the pace and extended their lead to a final score of 23-28, a result that belied the competitive nature of the match for three-quarters of its duration.
Match Overview
Mecalia Atlético Guardés starts their title defence with a victory, while Zonzamas Plus Car Lanzarote showcased a highly competitive performance, matching the reigning champions for significant periods.
Zonzamas Plus Car Lanzarote (23)
Valentina Menucci, Marie Louis (7 goals), Brenda Roger Soler (4), Ingrid Roger Soler (1, excluded at 34:15), Gleinys Reyes González (4), Yasmin Frederica Fernández Furtado, María Paula Fernández Estigarribia (2), Agustina López Santamarina, Luna Vončina, Alicia Robles Sánchez, Irene Botella Poveda (1), Paula García Locay (2), Nahomi Márquez Jabique (excluded at 13:36 and 23:02), Claudia Kaulback Amoedo, Daniela Jerónimo García, and Lorena Zarco Úbeda (2). Coach: Juan Miguel Pérez Fernández.
Mecalia Atlético Guardés (28)
Sabina Mínguez García, Jazmín Lucero Mendoza Peralta (5), Blazka Hauptman, Lorena Aide Téllez Delgado (3), Cecilia Cacheda González (5), María Palomo Pineda (excluded at 50:37), Rosane Serrano Ortega (1), Elena Martínez Ruiz (1), Cristina Cifuentes Bermejo (7), Carme Castro Viaño, Nerea Gil Muñoz, Ariana Clara Montserrat Portillo Mieres (1), María Sancha González (1, excluded at 41:22), Ania Ramos Reyes (4), Anouk Nieuwenweg, and Marie-Hélène Amandine Audrey Balzinc. Coach: Ana Cristina Teixeira Seabra.
Referees
Oriol Grebol Banús and Miquel Vigo Azuaga.
Score by halves
3-2, 5-5, 7-6, 8-7, 10-8, 12-10 (halftime);
15-13, 17-16, 19-17, 21-22, 21-24, 23-28 (final).
Notes
This match was part of Matchday 1 of the Liga Guerreras Iberdrola, held at Ciudad Deportiva Lanzarote in front of around 300 fans. The encounter began with a minute of silence in memory of Juan Ramón de León Tejera, former president of Zonzamas.
