03/05/2015 21:23
‘Golden match’ win takes Germany’s men to Continental Cup finals
2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup - Men
Thessaloniki, Greece, May 3, 2015. Germany men’s pairs emulated their countrywomen and also claimed a spot in the finals of the 2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup but were made work hard by the hosts of Greece who stretched their tie to a ‘golden match’ that was claimed by 2011 European silver medallists and 2013 world bronze medallists Kay Matysik and Jonathan Erdmann. Greece returned to action later in the day to claim their second ‘golden match’ victory of the weekend over Belarus to settle for second place in Pool E and get a better seeding for Round 4 which is due to take place later this summer.
Click here for further information including results and a detailed match programme
The 3rd Round tournaments are being covered extensively also on the CEV’s Facebook page and Twitter account, make sure you also use the official hashtag #CEVContinentalCup!
Germany vs. Greece 2:1
As they were passionately supported by the fans in attendance at the Avant Garde Sports Club in Thessaloniki, home heroes Georgios Kotsilianos and Nikos Zoupanis delivered a superb game as they edged Alexander Walkenhorst and Stefan Windscheif at the tie-break at the end of a dramatic and close fight (21-13, 18-21, 17-15). Germany responded with their best team, Kay Matysik and Jonathan Erdmann, drawing level after their 21-17, 21-19 victory over Fernandos Billiris and Ioannis Roumeliotakis. It all came down to the ‘golden match’ where Erdmann and Matysik showed their class and stamina to cruise to a 21-16, 21-13 victory over Kotsilianos/Zoupanis – who ran out of fuel towards the end of the opening set – to cash a ticket to the Continental Cup finals for their country.
Greece’s Georgios Kotsilianos said: “We played well in our first game against Walkenhorst and Windscheif, but it left us without any strength and energy for the ‘golden match’, where we looked and were tired. We started well, however you can’t beat rivals of such high level if you aren’t at 100% of your strength.”
Jonathan Erdmann commented: “We know Kotsilianos/Zoupanis very well and we were aware of their potential ahead of the ‘golden match’. Blocker Zoupanis was amazing, but they seemed tired and we got a victory which looked quite easy in the end. We are happy to finish first in the group and to have the opportunity to skip the next round of the Continental Cup.”
Belarus vs. Greece 1:2
To round off the programme of the 3rd Round tournament in Thessaloniki, Greece beat Belarus at the ‘golden match’ to settle for second place in Pool E and get a better seeding for the next stage of the competition. Everything was decided at the ‘golden match’ where home heroes Georgios Kotsilianos and Nikos Zoupanis had to fight for three close sets to edge past Aliaksandr Kavalenka and Aliaksandr Dziadkou of Belarus (16-21, 23-21, 15-13). This was the fourth high-level match played by the Greek duo in about 10 hours but they showed their determination and skills to be the ones to celebrate in the end. This was also the third ‘golden match’ victory for Kotsilianos and Zoupanis as they had achieved the same feat at last year’s 1st Round event in Schinias and also yesterday in the semis with Belarus.
Kotsilianos said after this marathon: “I’m happy with the second place, but also because today’s games are over for us! It is very unusual to play four matches at this level within the same day. We gave all we had to make it through.”
Aliaksandr Dziadkou commented: “We are not pleased, because we wanted to get second place in the pool. Unfortunately, we just made too many mistakes in the second set and in the tie-break of the ‘golden match’ and that’s why we lost.”
|