Luxembourg, March 24, 2021. Allianz Powervolley MILANO triumphed with the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2021 Men title after seizing another 3-2 victory over the Turkish team of Ziraat Bankasi SK ANKARA in the final stage of the competition. The return match was highlighted by twists and turns but the players around head coach Roberto Piazza congratulated themselves after being better on the serve (6 aces) and block (13), making these two elements the key to their success. Jean Patry from the winners’ side recorded 26 points and became MVP of the finals.
Ziraat Bankasi SK ANKARA (TUR) vs Allianz Powervolley MILANO (ITA) 2-3 (23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 18-25, 8-15)
A cat-and-mouse game marked the first minutes of the match as neither Ziraat Bankasi SK ANKARA nor Allianz Powervolley MILANO were able to build a comfortable point difference. Some good actions on the block and in attack helped the Italian team to start feeling more comfortable on the field while the Turkish side let some unforced errors affect their game. However, the players around head coach Giampaolo Medei, got back on track improving in the decisive moments in attack, breathing down their opponents’ necks in the end of the set. Nevertheless, MILANO found the right way and emerged victorious with Jean Patry topping the charts with 8 points in the opening set.
Ziraat Bankasi SK ANKARA entered highly motivated in the second set, performing well on attack. With the set unfolding, the team from MILANO pushed hard on the serve (2 aces) but ANKARA’s players were impeccable on the net until the 15th point (12-4). Team leader Wouter ter Maat was on fire but MILANO weren’t giving in easily, and showing their best in the last minutes, equalised at 23-23. Martin Atanasov of Ziraat with a sharp attack helped his teammates to tie the set score.
Yuki Ishikawa spiking past Martin Atanasov during the return match of the #CEVChallengeCupM final between Allianz Powervolley MILANO and Ziraat Bankasi SK ANKARA
Both the hosts and the guests were showing some good and equal performance in the different components in the third set, but Ziraat Bankasi SK ANKARA slowly took control of the game, excelling on block and attack. They continued with the same pace and eventually took a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the next set, Allianz Powervolley MILANO were slightly better than their opponents were and started building a comfortable advantage. They were able to remain more concentrated and bring the match into a tiebreak. In the decisive part, Jean Patry and his teammates started better, with good play on the serve making it difficult for ANKARA’s team to organise their attacks. Yuki Ishikawa put an end to the discussion with a great attack and sparked the Italian celebrations.
Jean Patry was on fire for Allianz Powervolley Milano with his 26 points (10 break points). Tine Urnaut contributed with 17 for his team’s victory. For the Turkish side, Ter Maat finished with 21 points, while Martin Atanasov added 20.
More on the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2021 Men here.