Sofia, Bulgaria, July 14, 2019. The second day of the 2019 CEV U17 European Championship – Men in Sofia delivered several unexpected results as Portugal beat Italy, Poland won in straight sets with Russia, and the hosts Bulgaria needed five sets to defeat Turkey. Czech Republic claimed their second win and are the Pool II leaders, while France is on top of Pool I.
France achieved a second straight-set victory in Pool I in Hristo Botev Hall. They needed only 67 minutes to win over Romania. Despite the competitive beginning of all the three sets, the French squad managed to close them showing more confidence and stability at the key moments. Nathan Canovas played another great match for the winners as he finished with 13 points.
Olivier Audabram, head coach of France: “It was a tough match for us because it is always hard to play under such a high level of pressure. We were more patient and we made less mistakes. It is good that we used our block as a weapon as our reception wasn’t good enough.”
Constantin Burungiu, head coach of Romania: “We met a very good team. Despite that we were close to the win, because France didn't play at their best. We gave them too many points from our errors. France didn't win this match, Romania did lose it.”
Turkey vs Bulgaria 2-3 (15-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 10-15)
Bulgaria stayed unbeaten in Pool I after outlasting the team of Turkey in a dramatic five-setter. Turkey were two sets down, but came back to the game and then the hosts responded swiftly in the tie-break without giving their opponent a chance to take a lead. Vladimir Garkov led Bulgaria scorers with 23 points, being followed by Georgi Tatarov (22 ) and Aleksandar Nikolov (19 - 4 aces). Alper Ayar finished with 13 for Turkey.
Martin Stoev, head coach of Bulgaria: “It was one of our toughest test. We lost concentration in the third set not for the first time and it was a matter of time to be punished, what Turkey did today. I am happy that my players didn’t give up. It is true that we didn’t play well but we didn’t give up for sure. I would like to thank our audience for the support. They have a big merit in our success today.”
Belarus vs Finland 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-23)
After losing their tournament opening games yesterday, the teams of Belarus and Finland came in Hristo Botev Hall highly motivated to achieve their first win at #EuroVolleyU17M. Thus the atmosphere on the court was extremely competitive during the entire match. The Finns took a set advantage (25-22) but then the team led by Aliaksei Kavaliou got back to winning ways and closed the match 3-1 in their favour.
Aliaksei Kavaliou, head coach of Belarus: “Our second match was better than the first one. We are happy that we won. Of course there are still some mistakes, which we have to avoid. We will try to fix them and improve our game a little bit later. The Finnish team is really good but today was our day!”
Janne Heikkinen, head coach of Finland: “I am satisfied with the face that we showed in this match. Today we fought, we improved our game from yesterday. I am very proud of my guys. After the difficult game we had yesterday, we came back to play good volleyball. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win. Belarus played better at the end. We missed several chances to take the 4th set but we just weren’t able to win the key points. I am sure that we can improve and we are looking forward to our next games.”
Pool II
Italy vs Portugal 2-3 (20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 13-15)
The clash of Portugal and Italy became the first five-setter at the 2019 #EuroVolleyU17M in Sofia! The game was a rollercoaster and both teams showed unbelievable will to win, fighting hard for every single ball. In the first set Portugal jumped to 14-9 and maintained their advantage. Both sides opened the second part nervously, making several unforced errors, Portugal was on a lead again, however Italy was better in the decisive part of the set. After losing the third set, the Portuguese team dominated on the court from the very beginning. The tie-break was a point-by-point race till 14-11, Portugal needed three match-balls to add the second win to their name. Nuno Marques had an outstanding performance scoring 24 points.
Nuno Miguel dos Santos Pereira, head coach of Portugal: “It’s amazing! I want to congratulate my players for such an excellent game. We managed to tie and then play the tie-break as we knew that #17 of Italy is their biggest asset, so we used this knowledge on the court. Before the game we believed that we could win, but expected it to be a difficult mission as Italy have a really great team.”
Renato Barbon, head coach of Italy: “It was a tough game. Portugal were very strong in defense and counter-attack and therefore we had big problems. It was a terrible game for us, we didn't have enough ideas how to play and the result is only the natural consequence of it.”
Poland vs Russia 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-23)
Poland claimed their first #EuroVolleyU17M win after defeating Russia in straight sets. The Poles smashed their opponents in the opening set. The Russians came back to the game after this cold shower, improving their game, they led 16-13, but the White-and-Reds managed to catch up and take a lead, closing this part 25-22. Also the last part was a fierce battle, but the Polish eagles didn't let their opponent to spread their wings on court, earning a deserved victory in this match. Mikhail Labinskii of Russia was the best scorer with 15 points, while Jakub Olszewski and Kamil Szymendera contributed each with 12 points for Poland.
Jakub Olszewski, captain of Poland: "We didn't expect to win so easily the first set. We were extremely motivated before this game and we knew what we are fighting for. Yesterday, our coaches explained us that this defeat with Italy doesn't write us off and the tournament goes on and we are here to fight for the medals. Team spirit is our strength, we are like a family and we support each other."
Vladimir Khromenkov, head coach of Russia: "We switched position of our nominal spiker Kiril Motorygin to libero. Our players have gained more and more experience with every set and our goal is to follow this way, we don't give up, we want to move forward and fight in the next matches."
Greece vs Czech Republic 1-3 (25-18, 18-25, 15-25, 20-25)
The Czechs after a spectacular win over Russia yesterday, were caught napping in the first set losing this part by seven points. Next part they opened with new energy fighting for every ball what brought them a convincing win. Also in next sets the Czechs dominated on the court, the Greeks tried their best, but it was not enough. Alexandros Nanopoulos had an outstanding performance scoring 29 points! David Kollator of Czech Republic gave his team 19 points, while his teammate Jakub Ures recorded 18.
Jiri Zach, head coach of Czech Republic: "The opening of the game was difficult for us, because Greece played very well and their service worked, too and we struggled with problems in reception. It was a tight match, but later Greece just didn't manage to keep their high level. We had many long rallies during which we showed that we are better."
Georgios Bakodimos, head coach of Greece: "Every game here is very difficult for us. In the last weeks we played nine extremely hard matches, we won silver at the U17 Balkan Championship in Sofia, but now we have no energy to play during this tournament. In my opinion the Balkan event should be played after the European Championship, because we are all tired. My boys are tired and I'm also exhausted, we are staying at the same hotel for three weeks, it's too difficult for 16-year-olds."
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