29/03/2016 23:43
Galatasaray celebrate 3-2 win over titleholders in CEV Cup finals first leg
2016 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women
Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2016. Turkey’s Galatasaray Daikin ISTANBUL claimed on Tuesday night a dramatic home victory in the first leg of the 2016 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women finals over 2015 gold medallists Dinamo KRASNODAR of Russia (3-2; 25-14, 22-25, 25-16, 21-25, 15-13). The re-match will now follow on Saturday, April 2 in Krasnodar where Dinamo will be trying to turn the odds to try and go for back-to-back titles in Europe’s second most prestigious club competition.
Galatasaray Daikin started the match by putting a lot of pressure with their serves, which prevented their Russian opponents to display the usual power in attack. As the hosts performed well also in defence, and they actually did so throughout the whole match, the eventual winner of the opening set was Galatasaray Daikin with a commanding 25-14 score.
Dinamo KRASNODAR realised that they had to improve their performance in reception in order to make a comeback, a mission which was not that easy to accomplish. The hosts, on the other hand, stormed back and managed to move the score to 22-all after trailing 18-21; however, Dinamo scored three in a row to level the count in the match (25-22).
In the third set the centre stage was again taken by Galatasaray Daikin. This time the hosts did a way better in reception and with great contribution of their Italian opposite Nadia Centoni they easily won the set 25-16.
Similarly to what had happened in the second set, Dinamo KRASNODAR stepped up their efforts in the fourth one. Even though Galatasaray tried it hard to not to fall behind, Dinamo were just excellent in closing the crucial points. As the visitors cruised to a 25-21 set win, the match was extended to a tie-break.
In the fifth set Galatasaray came back from a 7-8 deficit to snatch a 15-13 victory mainly thanks to their amazing resilience in defence, and with it the hosts claimed a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the first leg of the 2016 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women finals. With this result, Galatasaray Daikin still have to win the-rematch in Russia to lift the trophy; if Dinamo bounce back to claim a 3-2 home win, a golden set will be played to determine the eventual winners of the competition.
Galatasaray Daikin coach Ataman Güneyligil commented after the match: “I am glad that we could win the first round in the final stage of this great competition. However, if we want to take this cup, we must definitely improve our game, and do so especially in certain crucial moments which may change the course of the match. Now it is time to appreciate what we did good in our game, criticise ourselves for the mistakes we made and after that reset our minds and get ready for another battle, this being the re-match that we will play on Saturday in Krasnodar.”
Home star Nadia Centoni: “We are very happy with winning this match. The finals are always as tough as much as they are exciting. Still, we should remain calm and remember that we did not win the cup yet. To recover from crucial mistakes like the ones we made today will not be as easy in Krasnodar. Our opponent will have the home advantage there. I hope Galatasaray’s fans will follow us to Russia as they do all over the world. We are excited and personally I cannot wait to play the 2016 CEV Cup decisive match and feel that same energy again.”
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