Konya, Turkey, July 7, 2017. Turkey and Belgium were the big winners on day four of the CEV U17 Volleyball European Championship – Men. The hosts beat Bulgaria to end their 100% record while elsewhere at the Konya Municipality Sports and Congress Center, Belgium extended their winning run to four with a win against Russia in five sets.
Greece vs. the Netherlands 3-1 (25-19, 25-27, 25-19, 25-20)
Greece moved out of the elimination places for the time being with a win against the Netherlands who they passed in the process. Stefanos Nanas’s side lost a narrow second set but bounced back well to secure maximum points.
Nanas said the rest day on Thursday was key to the victory: “Yesterday was good for us because we could sit down, see the mistakes we were making and today we tried to play like we did against Finland.” He added: “Tomorrow against Turkey they may have a problem because they could be anxious to win. We play freely and I think we will have a good result.”
Russia vs. Belgium 2-3 (24-26, 23-25, 27-25, 25-13, 6-15)
Russia were defeated for the second time at the European Championship, this time going down in five sets to Belgium who kept their 100% winning run intact with just Italy left to play. Coach Wim De Boeck was delighted and said the rest was and still will be key going forward.
“It’s about mentality, but we did well physically, too,” he explained. “I enjoy every match that we play and it’s about the players learning more and more. On the third day we had an easy game against Spain and then the rest helped us for today.” An easing injury situation was also a positive for the Belgian coach who added: “Wout D’Heer has been injured but now he’s back so I’m very happy for him.”
Serbia vs. Finland 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-16)
For the first time this tournament Serbia won in straight sets as they beat bottom side Finland to ease some pressure on the players ahead of the final pool match tomorrow against the Netherlands. Serbia coach Ognjen Bulic was happy with the result but identified a need for a stronger mentality.
“They are kids and when they see they have a lead of four or five points, they start to laugh and that’s bad,” he said. “We need to get their concentration to a higher level so that we can win tomorrow. We need three points and if Turkey lose against Bulgaria or Greece then we are in the semi-finals. That’s the aim.”
Italy vs. Spain 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-20)
Italy secured their place in the last eight of the competition with a simple win against Spain who remain at the foot of Pool II.
Speaking post-match coach Bruno Morganti was happy with his team’s ability to get the job done.
“It was an easier match, but we did well to focus and use what we prepared,” he explained. “Spain are very good at playing their own game so we had to concentrate and get the game won.”
Bulgaria vs. Turkey 1-3 (25-19, 21-25, 20-25, 13-25)
Turkey once again used the home crowd to their advantage as they came from behind to topple previously unbeaten Bulgaria. The Turks were beaten in the first set but turned the game around as they found some momentum to secure a minimum fourth place finish in the tournament.
“It was so important for us because we will finish second or first in the group,” said Turkey coach Hüseyin Düzceler. “Today the fans were fantastic. It was a great win.”
Czech Republic vs. Belarus 0-3 (21-25, 27-29, 25-18)
Czech Republic lost their fourth match in a row at the competition as they were beaten by Belarus who grabbed a second win of the week. The sets were close but Belarus had enough to secure all three points. Speaking ahead of their final pool match against Russia on Saturday, Belarus coach Aliaksei Kavaliou said he was intrigued by Russia’s mixed set of results so far.
“I’m surprised that they’ve lost two of their four matches so far and it’s a game that we really have to win tomorrow,” Kavaliou said. “As for today, it’s a good win and my players did everything that I asked of them before the match.”
The results mean that in Pool I Finland will play their final match tomorrow after being eliminated. Bulgaria and Turkey will be in the final eight, while two of Serbia, Greece or the Netherlands will also stay in the competition.
In pool II, Belgium lead by three points at the top while at the bottom, Czech Republic and Spain are both out and compete for the final time tomorrow as they face each other at 17:30 local time.
The teams will play the final round of pool matches on Saturday before four teams leave the competition, leaving us with the various semi-finalists to battle it out on Monday.