Zlín, Czech Republic, April 12, 2018. Bulgaria managed a 3-0 win against Turkey, while Belarus beat Greece (3-1) and the Czechs beat Germany (3-1) in the last day of Pool I at the 2018 CEV U18 Volleyball European Championship - Men. After five competition days, Germany and Czech Republic walk into the semi-finals, while Bulgaria and Belarus will play for places 5-8.
Live streaming of all matches is available here.
Turkey vs. Bulgaria 0-3 (22-25, 22-25, 29-31)
It was clear from the beginning of the game that the Bulgarians had their eyes on the prize and Turkey should show their best efforts, if they wished to extinguish the flames in the Bulgarians' eyes. Eventually all of the efforts of team Turkey only managed to pull the result closer, but not change the course of the game. Throughout the game both teams lacked communication on their side of the court, as easy balls kept falling on the ground, but that did not break the spirits of the Bulgarians, as they recorded a much needed 3-0 win, but at the end of the day it turned out to not be enough to qualify for the semi's and the team will fight for places 5-8.
After the Bulgarian boys finished their extensive celebration, their libero Simeon Dobrev shared: "The match was very hard and we kept our concentration in difficult moments. We wanted the result for us more than our opponent and we succeeded. Now we have a chance at playing in the semi-finals."
Kaan Gürbüz, who scored 17 points for Turkey today, admitted: "We wanted to win today, but we did not manage to show our best efforts during the whole game. It was our worst performance in this tournament."
Belarus vs. Greece 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-12)
After losing the first set, Belarus came back stronger than ever, as they showed their best game and left no chances for their opponents from the Balkan country. In the fourth set, however, the Greeks managed a streak of successful episodes and Belarus called for a time-out to slow down their opponents at 12-11. The set eventually ended at 25-12, as Belarus enjoyed themselves on the court and the only point the Greeks earned during this time was from an unsuccessful serve by their opponents. With this win the Belarussians set their direction to fight for places 5 - 8 later in the weekend.
Uladzislau Davyskiba from Belarus returned on court today after an ankle injury he got in the first pool match. He was the best scorer of the team and brought 14 points to the pot. "We did not start good, the first set was not well done for us, but in the second part we fought and the rest of the match was in our hands," he said.
The young Greek setter Panagiotis Bozidis admitted after the game they did not come prepared: "Today we were not in our best form. Belarus played very well and we did not manage to react to their game."
Germany vs. Czech Republic 1-3 (16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25)
Going into the game both the teams and their fans understood that Germany already were the pool winners, while the Czechs desperately needed a win to follow their dream of seizing medals on home soil. The Germans had a different starting six, indicating the intention of letting some players rest before the all-important semi-final matches. The first set started slowly, but the Czechs surely and steadily took the lead, won it and completely dominated in the second. The result was equal throughout the third set, but Germany managed to be more successful in the final episodes. In what was eventually the final set, Germany held the game in their hands, but the local heroes proved they wanted the semi-finals by drawing level at 22-22 and scoring three points in a row to secure a 3-1 victory, thus qualifying for the final four of the tournament.
The captain of the Czech team Jiří Mikulenka was over the moon: "Today it was a game of life or death. We chose life. The match was super, we also had a bit of good luck. We are very happy to go to the semifinals."
Matúš Kalný, head coach of Germany, added: "Our approach to this match was not good. It changed a bit in the third set, but the Czech team had bigger motivation to win and therefore was successful in the end."
On Saturday the four best teams of each pool will continue their journey in the competition. Pool winners and runners-up will play the semi-finals, teams finishing 3rd and 4th will contest the classification matches for places 5-8. The eventual champions will be crowned on Sunday, April 15.
Click
here for further information.