Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14, 2015. Volleyball history was written on Sunday in Baku as the long-awaited men’s competition of the inaugural European Games experienced its first memorable moments. The quest for glory in the historic event being held in the Azerbaijani city lived a thrilling curtain-raiser just as the participating squads yearned to inscribe their names in the annals of the tournament. Slovakia achieved the honour of becoming the first winning team of the transcending competition with their 3:1 win (25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20) over Italy before Bulgaria claimed a hard-fought 3:2 victory over a young but spirited Belgian side (25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11). Finally, Russia won the clash of Titans against Germany 3:1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21).
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Slovakia vs Italy 3:1 (25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20)
The men’s tournament of the European Games started on a remarkable note on Sunday in the dazzling showdown starring Slovakia and Italy in the opening match of the competition. Both squads engaged in a disputed clash for victory resulting in a hard-fought triumph for Slovakia.
By means of compelling serves and impressive attacks, the Slovak and Italian stars set a high bar for the tournament in terms of showmanship and spirited struggle, and the determination demonstrated by the men on the court had the consequence of a constant parity in the game. Slovakia managed to break the permanent tie that persisted in the scoreboard throughout the first set just in the final moments of the period and a powerful spike put the 25-23 that gave the Slovaks the lead in the match.
The equality continued during the second set, as Slovakia’s Peter Ondrovic and Italy’s Andrea Galliani took over the scoring responsibilities of their respective teams. Slovakia used its efficiency in attack to acquire a slight advantage in the final stages of the period, and although Italy saved three set balls, Slovakia maintained the command of the game (25-22).
The third set was Italy’s moment to shine. With a 2:0 disadvantage in the scoreboard, the team trained by Michele Totire entrusted its future in the match to its blocking system, hoping for a reaction that would prompt a tie-breaker victory for the Azzurri. The 22-25 kept alive the Italians’ dreams of victory. However, the Slovaks’ outstanding performance ultimately crushed the Italian desires of a comeback as the sensational attacks and blocks by the team trained by Miroslav Palgut sent Slovakia straight to a historic victory.
“We played very well in service, and in block and defence. This helped us in our victory today. Only in the third set we couldn’t continue at this level because of our own mistakes. However, in the fourth set we did again very good in service and defence,” commented the coach of Slovakia Miroslav Palgut. “I hope that we can win one more match and go to the quarterfinals,” he added.
“We definitively did not play a good match. We made a lot of mistakes and we did not have the required patience. This is normal, I think, because it is the first game and most of us do not have the experience in important competitions like this. Now we need to stay positive and learn from this defeat for our future performances in this tournament,” declared Italian captain Marco Falaschi.
Belgium vs. Bulgaria 2:3 (16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 11-15)
The third match on schedule for the opening day of the men’s competition featured a very young Belgian team – including quite a few players who had won a bronze medal at the 2012 edition of the CEV U20 European Championship held in Poland – and a much more experienced Bulgarian side with the names of twins Georgi and Valentin Bratoev and team captain Todor Aleksiev headlining the roster. Not that surprisingly Bulgaria caught a flying start and easily controlled the opening set from beginning to end stamping a speedy 25-16 in their favour in the end.
The course of the game did not change much also in the early stages of the second set with Belgium’s mentor Kris Tanghe asking for a time-out as his guys trailed by 7:11. There was an ocular physical advantage that Bulgaria could rely on in this match and the experience of their setter Georgi Bratoev – a 2012 Olympian – provided another touch of extra class for the Balkan side. The young ‘Red Dragons’ played with a lot of courage and changed gear after Sander Depovere replaced starting setter Yves Kruyner, eventually levelling the score at 22 all on a net violation by Bulgaria. An ace by their team captain François Lecat contributed Belgium’s first lead in the match at 24:23 and their comeback was complete once Bulgaria spiked off the bounds to restore the balance in the game.
Belgium continued to perform well also at the beginning of the third set with Jolan Cox standing behind the service line but Bulgaria got back on track and claimed a three-point lead by the first technical time-out. The young ‘Dragons’ at some point seemed to enjoy the support of the crowd as every single point they scored was followed by a loud applause but Bulgaria broke away entering the final stretch (21:18) and did not look back (25-20) to restore their leadership in the game.
Volleyball seems to be quite a family affair in the Balkan country since next to the Bratoev twins the group competing at the Baku European Games also includes Jani Jeliazkov, the 22-year old son of coach Nikolay, and Rozalin Penchev, the younger brother to Asseco Resovia RZESZOW’s star Nikolay. The Jeliazkov’s ‘band’ continued to impose their pace also in set 4 (8:6) but a ‘lucky’ ace by Belgian setter Depovere restored the equality at 9 all. Belgium then got a small edge after the second technical time-out (20:18) but the Bratoevs helped Bulgaria fight back and level the score. The unexpected turned into reality a few moments later with Belgium cashing their second opportunity to stretch the match to a tie-break (25-23) and this achievement being greeted with a lot of enthusiasm by the audience.
Bulgaria got to the front there (6:3) exploiting some powerful serving by their middle blocker Nikolay Nikolov but Belgium did not lose composure and continued to play with resilience, thereby leaving the door open to the achievement of an incredible comeback. Jolan Cox showed time and again his serving skills and his contribution was instrumental to the eventual tie that Belgium reached at 10. However, he made two mistakes in a row – first from the service line and then by spiking off the bounds – and this way Bulgaria could set their sight on the finish line (12:10). A sell-out crowd waiting for Azerbaijan’s debut in the tournament witnessed a dramatic final rush where the young Belgians paid the price for their lack of experience at this level and eventually it was Bulgaria to start the tournament on a hard-fought 3:2 victory (15-11).
Nikolay Jeliazkov, coach of Bulgaria, said: “The key in this match was the second set. We had the chance to make it 2:0 but we played without our captain who is our most experienced player and we lined up a lot of young players on the court. In the difficult moments this lack of experience meant that we couldn’t close the set. The game was very tough but for me it is very important to start the tournament with a victory. I will analyse the game and especially our mistakes and strong points and we will try to do better in the next match. The important thing for me was that we could fight throughout the match and at the end we won the game.”
The head coach of Belgium, Kris Tanghe, said: “Before the match we said that if we had reached a 2:2 against Bulgaria, we would have been very happy. We had chances to win but we did not start the match so precisely but during the match we started playing better and now we have to see what we can improve. Now we have to think about our next matches against the other giants of the group, we need to find our game plan, think about their weakness if they have one and make sure that our players get some rest. I am satisfied with the way we played today but on the other hand we also leave a little bit disappointed because we actually lost the game.”
Germany vs Russia 1:3 (20-25, 25-20, 23-25, 21-25)
The reigning European champions of Russia versus a stellar German roster. The third match of Pool B was in truth a clash of Titans with Russia coming out on top after a thrilling drama.
Germany started off very shaky, not quite in European Games-gear, and had a hard time finding the right rhythm in the first set. This was due to a very motivated Russian team lead on by Victor Polatev. The opposite’s spikes cut through Germany’s blocks, like a doctor with a scalpel, and he crowned a great first set with one of many thunder spikes hammering into the German floor for the set win (25-20).
The second set was another story. The rally giving Germany the 5-1 lead in the second set showed the transformation of the Germans. Two times the Russians had a free ball, and two times the German defensive line fearlessly managed to keep the ball alive, before captain Jochen Schöps had a clear shot and spiked the Mikasa ball on the floor. Though in gear, Germany still had to fight hard before middle blocker Marcus Böhme could secure the last point for the set win (25-20).
The spectators at the Crystal Hall got full value for their money, and maybe a little less left of their fingernails, in the third set. The two Titans of Pool B continued their intense and evenly fought battle across the net. Germany keen on getting the best possible start of the tournament had the upper hand all the way through the set. When Russia took their first lead at 24:23 it came as a shock for the Germans, and Russia did not miss that chance closing the set 25-23.
The tough ending of the third set seemed to had crawled its way into the Germans minds. In the fourth set it was not only the Russian wall of middle blockers Ilia Vlasov and Igor Filippov that blocked the Germans attacks, the third set loss also blocked their belief in chances for success. Russia in front from start until the end won the set 25-21 and the Clash of Titans 3-1.
“It was a good match. The two teams showed a great level of performance and it was very difficult for us. We played good for some parts of the game and we are very happy that we won,” commented Russian coach Sergey Shlyapnikov.
“Russia played really well tonight. They are a physically strong team who plays at a high pace and keeps a high level throughout the entire match. I think the service became decisive tonight. In the third set they made two aces where we on the other hand made three mistakes in a row. That is simply deadly when you are pat 20 points in the rally system,” said Germany's setter Lukas Immanuel Kampa.