Luxembourg, October 31, 2019. Rookies Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST have booked the last ticket into the pool stages of the Women's Champions League after a convincing win in Albania against Partizani TIRANA in the Match of the Week. Visibly confident after managing a comprehensive 3-0 in the first leg, the Hungarians were ruthless from the beginning of the match and solely focused on advancing through to the next round where they will now face serious opposition in Pool D - with their rivals including 2019 and 2018 silver medal winners A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO of Italy and C.S.M. Volei Alba BLAJ of Romania.
Partizani TIRANA (ALB) vs Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST (HUN) 0-3 (19-25, 17-25, 16-25)
- The Albanians knew the task at hand was difficult after a disappointing loss in the first leg and they managed to stay in contention up until the later stages of the first set. With the help of great performances from Kata Török and Dalma Juhar, Vasas Óbuda managed to go clear and win the first set, thus taking a huge step towards qualification.
- The second set was more of the same as Partizani TIRANA were unable to match the intensity of their opponents, despite the best efforts from Yeliz Basa and Romana Hudecova. Step by step, Vasas Óbuda was making strides that gave them more confidence and seeing the "finish line" so close, they became almost unstoppable. By winning the second set the Hungarian rookies celebrated an amazing achievement, the qualification into the pool stages of the Champions League.
- Despite head coach Jakub Gluszak changing almost the entire lineup, Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST won the third set as well, solidifying a great 3rd round performance that saw them winning both matches without dropping a set.
- Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST's outside spiker, Kata Török was named Player of the Match after yet another great performance.
- Partizani TIRANA's opposite, Yeliz Basa was the game's top scorer, managing 14 points.
Nejat Sancak, head coach of Partizani TIRANA: “The first set was the one that decided the fate of the match and the qualification. We started the match well, but soon we started making mistakes and it affected our game. Our level then dropped over time, we made a lot of mistakes and made it easier for the opponent to win. I am not very happy with these two games. I wish the team more luck and success in the next European matches, where I unfortunately will not be part of Partizani.”
Jakub Gluszak, head coach of Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST: “We knew, we would not have an easy game tonight and the first few points of the first set confirmed this. But we soon realised what we needed to change in our game, especially the mentality, and we made it. I am pleased with this result. Qualifying for the Champions League group stage was our goal and we achieved this goal, writing our history and the history of Hungarian Volleyball. Now let's see what we can achieve next.”
We now know all the teams that will take part in the pool stages of the Women's Champions League:
Pool A: Eczacibasi Vitra ISTANBUL (TUR), Budowlani ŁODZ (POL), LP SALO (FIN), Fenerbahce Opet ISTANBUL (TUR)
Pool B: VakifBank ISTANBUL (TUR), Lokomotiv KALININGRAD REGION (RUS), Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR (SLO), Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI (ITA)
Pool C: Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA (ITA), ŁKS Commercecon LODZ (POL), Allianz MTV STUTTGART (GER), Khimik YUZHNY (UKR)
Pool D: A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (ITA), NANTES VB (FRA), C.S.M. Volei Alba BLAJ (ROU), Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST (HUN)
Pool E: Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS), RC CANNES (FRA), Maritza PLOVDIV (BUL), Uralochka-NTMK EKATERINBURG (RUS)
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