30/03/2017 13:21
Fakel NOVY URENGOY rally to comprehensive victory over Turkish rivals
2017 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men
Novy Urengoy, Russia, March 30, 2017. Fakel NOVY URENGOY easily claimed on Wednesday the first round of their 2017 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup – Men semi-final with Turkey’s Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL. The 2016 silver medal winners from Russia rallied to a comprehensive 3-0 victory (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) to claim a substantial edge ahead of the rematch, which is due to take place this coming Sunday in Istanbul.
Even though both teams looked equally determined to make a first step towards reaching the final stage of the competition, Fakel NOVY URENGOY eventually achieved this feat doing so in emphatic style. The hosts made it clear from the very beginning who was going to rock the night – leading 5-2 in the opening set on impressive serving from Ivan Iakovlev. Though Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL put up a fight, they could not stand the pace of the home team as Fakel NOVY URENGOY scored with remarkable consistency with the help of their star players Egor Kliuka, Dmitrii Volkov and Alexander Kimerov. The course of the match did not change in the second set where Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL struggled to control the powerful service of Vadym Likhosherstov and Fakel NOVY URENGOY delivered a very solid performance in attack. Galatasaray cut their gap within two points at 20-18 in the third set with Samuele Tuia standing behind the service line, but Fakel fought back and eventually sealed a 3-0 victory.
“We played against a very strong team, whose roster includes many tall and very athletic players,” said Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL head coach Nedim Özbey. “We played the best we could, but we made too many mistakes. I am still confident that when we play at home in Istanbul, things can get better for us.”
“We have a very busy and demanding schedule at the moment, with one match after the other and little time for recovery but this is quite the usual routine for elite Volleyball players,” commented the head coach of Fakel, Camillo Placi. “As for the match with Galatasaray, my players stuck with the game plan for most of the time and remained focussed and concentrated from start to end, so I am satisfied with the performance and with the result as well.”
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