08/06/2019 23:00
Turkey delight 6,000 fans to extend Golden #EuroLeagueM winning streak
CEV Volleyball European Golden League 2019
Luxembourg, June 8, 2019. Turkey are the only team with an impeccable record of four wins in as many matches in the CEV Men’s Volleyball European Golden League 2019 after they routed Slovakia on Saturday in three sets, much to the delight of a huge crowd of 6,000 fans in Malatya. The winning streak of Belarus in Pool C ended after four rounds, as they lost 1-3 at the hands of the Czech Republic in Jindrichuv Hradec. Final Four hosts Estonia came back from two sets down to edge Croatia 3-2 as some of their major stars are now back with the team a couple of weeks before the Finals due to take place in Tallinn on June 21-22, 2019.
Pool A
Turkey vs. Slovakia 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-17)
• Turkey have a perfect record of four wins in as many matches in Pool A.
• Cagatay Durmaz of Turkey was the best scorer of the match. He finished the game with 12 points. On the other side of the net, four Slovak players registered four points apiece.
• As many as 6,000 spectators came to Merkez Sport Hall in Malatya to watch the match between Turkey and Slovakia.
Nedim Özbey, head coach of Turkey: “It was very nice to win 3-0. We are still unbeaten in the CEV European Golden League. With this victory, we are very close to reaching the Final Four. I would like to congratulate all players and the staff and also to thank our fans who have supported us today in Malatya.”
Cagatay Durmaz, player of Turkey and top scorer of the match: “I am happy with the victory. I congratulate my teammates. We played again in front of a great audience. Many thanks to all fans because we played such a great game also because of their help. After this match, I think we can say that we need one point more to qualify for the Final Four.”
Belgium vs. Latvia 1-3 (25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 23-25)
• An injured Belgian captain Igor Grobelny could not play and this prevented the Red Dragons from standing a real chance at making amends for their previous loss at the hands of Latvia in Riga.
• Latvia recorded their second victory in the competition to cement second place in the pool behind Turkey, while Belgium sit in fourth and last place.
• Setter Sander Depovere and Gil Hofmans were new to the Belgian selection, stepping in for Lienert Cosemans and Roman Abinet. Simon Peeters resumed play after attending his brother’s wedding.
• The Belgians quickly won the first set before Latvia responded swiftly in the second, with Armands Abolins sealing a 25-21 win for the visitors. Belgium soon trailed 8-13 in the third set and could no longer make up for that deficit. The fourth set was a close one, with Latvia closing it in their favour with a block.
• Atvars Ozolins topped the charts for Latvia with 20 points, as Lou Kindt scored 22 times for Belgium in their losing effort.
Brecht Van Kerckhove, head coach of Belgium: “I am definitely seeing progress in my young team. I thought it was time to score a second victory but unfortunately, we failed. That is a pity. Congrats to Latvia, strong in the middle, thanks to the passing from a super setter like Deniss Petrovs.”
Avo Keel, head coach of Latvia: “I expected a tough match, and so it was. It was hard for me to predict the result. One point would have been sufficient for me. Now we got three: simply outstanding.”
Pool B
Estonia vs. Croatia 3-2 (27-29, 17-25, 25-13, 25-21, 15-10)
• Many main forces of Team Estonia - captain Kert Toobal, Robert Täht, Oliver Venno, Rait Rikberg and Ardo Kreek had their first game in the national team in this year’s Golden League, so the start was a bit shaky and Estonia fell behind 0-2.
• Despite this, the home team was able to come together and won the following three sets, thus sealing an emotional win in front of 1,150 spectators.
• Robert Täht was the best scorer for Estonia with 17 points, while Ivan Raic had 19 points for Croatia.
Gheorghe Cretu, head coach of Estonia: “The start was a bit difficult and I was a little afraid the guys would hurt themselves, because their will to perform well in front of our fans was huge but they do not have a good rhythm yet. After the second set, I started making substitutions and I received a lot of useful information from these five sets. In the end, I am satisfied with how we managed to step up our game.”
Emanuele Zanini, head coach of Croatia: “Today we played like two different games – the first two sets and the last three sets. Estonia had problems at the beginning but overall they had a better rhythm in the game. After Estonia changed three players (Hindrek Pulk, Silver Maar and Kristo Kollo), they received much better and served much better. For us, these changes created many problems. We are disappointed because when you are up 2-0 and eventually lose, it is always disappointing. But this competition is my first opportunity to work with this team and we try to improve game by game.”
Pool C
Czech Republic vs. Belarus 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23)
• There was a sell-out crowd for this match, with 1,200 fans in attendance at Jindrichuv Hradec.
• Czech Republic claimed their third victory in the pool and they are yet to lose a match at home.
• This was the first loss for Team Belarus in Pool C.
Michal Nekola, head coach of Czech Republic: “We won today’s match for a smaller number of mistakes. The Belarusians confirmed their quality, but we played practically without mistakes in the first two sets. Our team showed much strength today - everyone who came in, helped. The atmosphere was excellent. Whenever the hall is full, we play better. I hope the audience liked today’s game.”
Jakub Janouch, captain of Czech Republic: “It was a fantastic match, and we enjoyed it very much. There was a great atmosphere. I believe we still have a chance to reach the Final Four.”
Viktar Beksha, head coach of Belarus: “The home team served very well. In addition to that, the Czech fans gave them strength. It is a pity that at the end of the second and fourth sets we missed many services.”
Ukraine vs. Finland 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-23)
• Finland suffered their fourth straight loss in the competition.
• Ian Iereshchenko and Dmytro Viietskyi were the home stars of the match, as they scored 19 and 14 points, respectively. Viietskyi’s performance was especially remarkable since he is coming back from a serious injury.
• Finland attempted a comeback in the third set but they could never really pose a threat to the Ukrainian team coached by Ugis Krastins.
• Ukraine have improved their win-loss record to 2-2, still not quite enough to dream of a spot in the Final Four.
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