Tirana, Albania, June 25, 2017. After the Former Y.R. of Macedonia secured their place on Saturday, Sweden also grabbed a ticket for the men`s Final Four - scheduled for Denmark this coming weekend. The final day of the Pool A League Round was quite dramatic, with Albania losing 3-2 against the Former Y.R. of Macedonia whereas earlier, Sweden had won against Azerbaijan 3-0 and it proved to be enough edging out Albania on Match Points Quotient (W534 / L512 : 1,0430 vs W514 / L518 : 0,9923).
Meaning that the semi-final line-up for the Final Four this coming weekend in Gentofte (DEN) is:
SWE vs UKR
DEN vs MKD
Azerbaijan – Sweden
Sweden earned a deserved victory against Azerbaijan in the last game that the two teams played on Sunday afternoon. All three sets were dominated by the Swedish players, who appeared to show more will in the court to win the game, to keep alive their hopes of a Final Four spot. Azerbaijan surrendered quite quickly as Sweden did enough to continue their adventure in this competition (25-18, 25-16, 25-16).
Farid Jalalov, coach of Azerbaijan: “We did not play well today. In all three sets we made many errors and did not reach our objective in this tournament. Now we have to learn more from this experience.”
Johan Isacsson, coach of Sweden: “A great victory, we played well, showing some great spirit. We wanted this victory and deserved it, after dominating all three sets. Now we have to continue working for the final stage.”
Albania vs. Former Y.R. of Macedonia
The support of more than a thousand fans did not help the Albanian team to continue their dream, to reach the final stage for the first time in their history. After a dramatic two-hour game, the Former Y.R. of Macedonia won 3-2 against the home team, finishing the group stage without losing any matches.
Twice the travelling players took the advantage in this game, but twice Albania equalised the score, trying to make the miracle a reality in the final set. However, playing with heart did not help the Albanian team, because some errors sentenced the home team with the home heroes eventually leaving the court disappointed.
Dragutin Baltic, coach of the Former Y.R. of Macedonia: “It was a dramatic game and a difficult victory for us. The Albanian team played very well tonight and it was not easy for us to win. Now we have to think for the final stage, hoping to go as far as possible in this competition.”
Jovan Melka, coach of Albania: “I’m very annoyed and disappointed after this loss. I can not find the right words. We played well, with heart, but did not reach our goal. That’s all. I want to thank the players for the spirit they showed during this month. This adventure will make us stronger for the future.”
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