03/11/2016 21:22
Czech champions sound confident ahead of re-match with Hungarian neighbours
2017 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Prostejov, Czech Republic, November 4, 2016. Czech national champions Agel PROSTEJOV are doing their best to make it through the opening rounds of the 2017 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women. On Tuesday they claimed a 3-0 victory over Hungary’s Linamar - BÉKÉSCSABAI RSE, but they are only halfway through their mission. Now they have to win the rematch that is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, at 5:00 p.m. at DDM Sports Centre in Prostejov.
However, as the Czechs did extremely well in Tuesday’s match in Hungary, they are very likely to make it to the third round. “We definitely delivered our best performance of this season on Tuesday. We were really worried about the result because we knew they are a good team and that our form still needs some fine-tuning, but we finally played a very good game. Of course, we made some mistakes but we did not have long setbacks and we did better in the crucial situations of the match,” said Peter Goga, the head coach of Agel PROSTEJOV, one day after their successful opening match.
He knew that it was not only about good Volleyball but that it was also necessary to be patient to edge Hungary’s champions. “We told ourselves that we would not take too many risks, even though it would have a negative impact on our attacking strength. The important thing was to make fewer errors and to have a very good defence and actually force the opposing side to make mistakes. This strategy proved effective and we had the upper hand most of the time. I have to praise our ladies because they managed to give their maximum in this difficult clash,” adds Goga with pleasure. He praised all of his players for Tuesday’s performance. “Some of the players showed some extraordinary things but Volleyball is a team sport, so I have to thank the team as a whole for the final result,” adds the mentor from Prostejov.
However, he realises that it is still not a sure thing that his team will advance to the third round. “The return match is going to be very difficult. The Hungarian players might have been a little nervous playing at home in front of so many fans, but now in Prostejov they have nothing to lose but gain. They are expected to take many risks in serving as well as in other aspects and try to put pressure on us. That means we need to do really well in reception again, which is the basic thing we have to build on to play a good game,” says Goga. “You never know what the result will be; the deciding golden set might follow for example. On the other hand, we believe in our abilities and are confident that, if we deliver a good performance again, we should win and advance to the next stage of the competition.”
Agel PROSTEJOV also rely on the help of their fans. “Linamar - BÉKÉSCSABAI RSE were cheered on by a full sports hall. I hope that our fans will not stay behind and that there will be a lot of them coming to see Saturday’s matchup! I hope that our crowd will create a cosy home atmosphere for our ladies and help us advance to the third round,” concludes Peter Goga. But PROSTEJOV do not have to win, even a 2-3 loss would send them to the next round. Hungary’s champions, on the other hand, need to score a 3-0 or 3-1 win to have the possibility to play the golden set.
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