26/07/2015 21:18
Former Y.R. of Macedonia bounce back to edge Denmark in second home matchup
2015 CEV Volleyball European League - Men
Skopje, Former Y.R. of Macedonia, July 26, 2015. The hosts of the Former Y.R. of Macedonia made amends for the loss they had suffered on Saturday to claim their second home matchup with Denmark in Pool A of the 2015 CEV Volleyball European League – Men. After their 3:1 home victory from Sunday (25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 26-24) the Former Y.R. of Macedonia have now a record of three wins and three losses in the competition, whereas Denmark have won two and lost four so far.
The home mentor Zarko Ristoski made some changes in the starting line-up as he had decided to give a chance to some of his second lines who definitely lived up to his expectations. Unlike Saturday’s duel the hosts played with more confidence and aggressiveness and this way they immediately set the tone of the match.
However, after cashing the opening set by a comfortable 25-16, the home heroes had problems in the second where especially their efficiency in reception faltered. This way they quickly trailed 13:17 and even though Ristoski searched for some solutions to turn the tide, Denmark ended up winning the second stanza by 25-22 to restore the balance in the match.
The Former Y.R. of Macedonia got back on track and started the third set with the right pace and even though at 5:2 Aleksandar Ljaftov injured his ankle, the incident did not slow down the run of the home team. Jovica Simovski, Vuk Karanovikj and others played just superbly to contribute to a 9:3 lead. However, at this stage Denmark stepped up their efforts, especially at blocking, and cut their deficit down to one point (11:10). This negative trend for the hosts did not last that long as they got back on track to make it 20:14 before middle blocker Gjoko Josifov started a positive series behind the service line to pave the way for the final 25-18 Macedonia’s way.
Similarly to what had happened on Saturday, the last set was a real game of nerves. The teams traded points up to 8 all, after that the Danes edged ahead 11:8 and for most of the set the Former Y.R. of Macedonia had to chase their opponents. Their comeback was complete at 22 all after a block by Gjoko Josifov; the hosts got their first match ball at 24:23 and the Danish coach Mikael Trolle responded with a time-out. At this point, the game was stopped for 15 minutes following a blackout as a storm was hitting the city of Skopje. After the game resumed, Denmark drew level at 24 all but once again it was Josifov who steered the home side and helped seal the final 26-24 to celebrate a well-deserved home win.
The next stop for the Former Y.R. of Macedonia in the 2015 European League is set for August 1-2 when they host Austria at Boris Trajkovski sports hall in Skopje.
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