Men's Volleyball CEV Under 20 European Championship 2018

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Men's Volleyball CEV Under 20 European Championship 2018

 

/ Various Cities (BEL/NED) - 14 July 2018 - 22 July 2018 /

 

 

Totallympics Results Thread

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QUALIFICATION ROUND, DAY I

POOL B

 

 Estonia - Hungary

 

POOL E

 Austria -  Germany
 Romania -  Sweden

 

POOL F

 Norway -  Portugal

 

 

WATCH THE GAMES AT https://www.laola1.tv/en-at/channel/volleyball

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QUALIFICATION ROUND, DAY I RESULTS

 

POOL B

 

 Estonia 1-3  Hungary

 

POOL E

 Austria 0-3  Germany
 Romania 3-1  Sweden

 

POOL F

 Norway 0-3  Portugal

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Quest for ticket to #EuroVolleyU20M Finals has started 

 

Luxembourg, April 26, 2018. The second round of qualifications for the 2018 CEV U20 Volleyball European Championship – Men started on Thursday with five matches across three pools. Hungary beat Estonia 3-1 in Anapa as Germany and hosts Romania were the winners of the matches contested in Ploiesti where they beat Austria (3-0) and Sweden (3-1), respectively. Portugal stormed to a 3-0 victory over Norway to start proceedings in Pool F in Zrenjanin. The eventual winners of the eight second-round qualifiers will book their ticket to the Finals scheduled for mid-July and due to take place in the Netherlands and Belgium. 

Pool B in Anapa (RUS) 

Estonia vs. Hungary 1-3 (19-25, 22-25, 25-18, 23-25) 

Estonia and Hungary opened the programme of the tournament in Anapa as both teams showed a great determination to win. Hungary claimed an 8-6 lead in the first set with spikes of Kristof Horvath and held on to their initial advantage at 13-10. Urmas Tali, head coach of Estonia, asked for a timeout. It was not very productive and Hungary continued to set the pace of the game until they sealed a 25-19 set win. The early stages of the second set were a close affair but Estonia missed several spikes to prompt another timeout by Tali. Albert Hurt helped them close in at 13-12 and Hungary coach Tibor Tomanoczy stopped the game. It was a close race but Hungary emerged victorious 25-22 with a point scored by Peter Fülöp. 

Hungary rushed to an 8-5 lead in the third set but Estonia drew level at 11-all with Devin Põlluste and eventually edged ahead at 16-12. The Hungarian team made too many unforced mistakes and their coach opted for several substitutions. However, Estonia moved the score to 22-17 in their favour and Tarvo Täht ended the set for Estonia 25-18. Hungary claimed a 10-6 advantage in the fourth set. Estonia closed in at 10-11 but after a timeout, Hungary edged ahead again for 16-13. After the second technical timeout, the two teams continued to trade points but Hungary attacked more effectively to secure a 3-1 victory. 



Tibor Tomanoczy, head coach of Hungary: “After winning two sets, we lost focus and concentration. Estonia, on the other hand, started to play better. We made some changes and we eventually won the game. We still have chances to go further in this competition.” 

Marton Szabo, team captain of Hungary: “We made too many mistakes and sometimes we lost concentration. We need to improve our block and reception.”

Urmas Tali, head coach of Estonia: “We made stupid mistakes, especially at the beginning of the match. We did not find our game today.” 

Madis Parrol, player of Estonia: “We had poor reception today and we did not show our real level. We need to improve our game.” 

Pool E in Ploiesti (ROU) 

Austria vs. Germany 0-3 (18-25, 10-25, 20-25)

Germany opened the programme of the tournament in Ploiesti by cruising to a comprehensive 3-0 win over their neighbours from Austria. This is an extremely important result for the young players of head coach Johan Verstappen who found in Lukas Pfretzschner their “man of the match” as this young talent recorded an impressive tally of 19 points. After easily claiming the first set, team captain Eric Burggräf and his team fought for 21 minutes in the second set against their Austrian opponent, before having the upper hand at 25-10 thanks to the contribution of their outside spikers. After that, Germany claimed also a relatively closely fought third set to secure their first victory in the competition.



Romania vs. Sweden 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23)  

The second match of the day contested in Ploiesti between Romania and Sweden resulted in a 3-1 victory for the home team. Sweden started the match with a lot of confidence and they dictated the tempo of the game from start to the middle in the first set as the Romanian team, on the other hand, made too many mistakes. The hosts looked a little bit nervous and had some difficulties in reception but by putting more pressure with their serve and using more varied attack combinations, the home team eventually claimed the first set. 

Sweden started the second set by immediately imposing their tempo. They were better in reception and their setter made it hard for the Romanian blockers to find a way to stop Sweden’s attacks. The home team made many mistakes and this was enough for Sweden to win the second set.

The third set was just the opposite. The team of Romania showed a better game and the hosts looked a lot more concentrated and focussed. They continued to improve their level as the match progressed and showing more accuracy and efficiency in all aspects of the game, they imposed their rule in both sets 3 and 4 to secure a 3-1 victory.  

Pool F in Zrenjanin (SRB) 

Norway vs. Portugal 0-3 (17-25, 21-25, 23-25) 

In the opening match of the #EuroVolleyU20 qualifier in Zrenjanin, Portugal easily dealt with Norway, eventually claiming a 3-0 victory. The Portuguese boys were better the whole way and Norway was close, especially in the third set, but they lacked experience in the decisive moments.



“It is always difficult to play the first match at any tournament but we did what we wanted to do, as we booked an important victory,” said Nuno Miguel Pereira, head coach of Portugal.

“We did not follow the game plan in this match. I guess the boys were overwhelmed by the importance of the game. We needed to push through the middle more, to play tempo actions, and we did not succeed in doing that. Moreover, we had great problems in reception,” said Ole Martin Kleivenes, head coach of Norway.

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QUALIFICATION ROUND DAY II

POOL A

Bulgaria -  Switzerland
 Italy -  Spain

 

POOL B
 Israel - Estonia

 Hungary -  Russia

 

POOL C

 Finland  -  Denmark

 

POOL D

 Latvia -  France
Montenegro -  Slovenia

 

POOL E

Sweden -  Austria

 

POOL F

Serbia -  Norway

 

POOL G 

 Greece -   Turkey

POOL H
 Croatia -  Ukraine

 Poland -  Belarus

 

WATCH THE GAMES AT https://www.laola1.tv/en-at/channel/volleyball

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QUALIFICATION ROUND DAY II RESULTS

POOL A

 Bulgaria 3-1  Switzerland
 Italy 3-1  Spain

 

POOL B
 Israel 3-1  Estonia

 Hungary 0-3  Russia

 

POOL C

 Finland 3-0  Denmark

 

POOL D

 Latvia 0-3  France
 Montenegro 3-2  Slovenia

 

POOL E

 Sweden 3-2  Austria

 

POOL F

 Serbia 3-0  Norway

 

POOL G 

 Greece 0-3   Turkey

POOL H
 Croatia 0-3  Ukraine

 Poland 0-3  Belarus

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Serbia and Portugal to battle for ticket to #EuroVolleyU20M Finals on Saturday 

 

Luxembourg, April 27, 2018. Serbia and Portugal will be locking horns on Saturday in Zrenjanin to determine which team finishes top of the charts in Pool F and will join co-hosts the Netherlands and Belgium in the Final Round of the 2018 CEV U20 Volleyball European Championship – Men. As many as 12 matches across eight pools took place on Friday with the pre-favourite teams recording comprehensive victories as they vie for a coveted spot to compete in the Final Round scheduled for mid-July. The competition continues through the weekend and will determine the eight teams progressing straight to the Finals – and another eight due to contest the third and last qualifying round in late June.  

Pool A in Corigliano Calabro (ITA) 

Bulgaria vs. Switzerland 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-19) 

Italy vs. Spain 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 25-11) 



Hosts Italy started their campaign with a 3-1 victory in their matchup with Spain. They substantially controlled the match from start to end, catching a good start in the first set and imposing their rhythm in the second as well. The third set, however, was a different story with Spain able to change the course of the game and to step up the level of their performance. As the match resumed following the break at the end of the third set, the Azzurrini found back to their game and easily stormed to a 3-1 victory. Diego Cantagalli and Daniele Lavia top scored with 17 points apiece as Jordi Ramon Ferragut registered 18 for Spain. On Saturday, Italy will be playing Bulgaria that earlier in the afternoon beat Switzerland 3-1 as well. 

Pool B in Anapa (RUS)

Israel vs. Estonia 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 26-24, 25-18) 

The first set of the matchup featuring Estonia and Israel was a close fight; Estonia edged ahead at 8-7 but Israel wiped out the Estonian lead to make it 15-10 in their favour with attacks of Noah Bar Wolf. Estonia fought back to 13-15 after a timeout asked by their coach through some powerful spikes of Albert Hurt and Tarvo Täht. Israel coach Yossef Geva stopped the game as well and after actions resumed, Israel comfortably cruised towards a 25-19 set win. Estonia regrouped in the second set leading 6-3 and forced Geva into an early timeout. Estonia had an 8-4 advantage before Israel levelled the score at 10-10. Estonia got back their initial lead at 19-16 and finished the set 25-21 with powerful spikes of Albert Hurt. 
The third set started with Israel leading the way at 8-4 and despite all efforts made by Estonia to stop their opponents, David Ido and Enosh Shtift propelled Israel to a compelling 16-9 advantage. Estonia tried to reduce the gap (20-22) with spikes of Mihkel Varblane but Israel were able to seal a 26-24 win. 
It was a close fight in the early stages of the fourth set as well until Israel edged ahead by two points at the second technical timeout. Estonia coach Urmas Tali stopped the game at 21-17 for the opposition; however, Israel were not to stop and eventually secured a 3-1 victory.  

Yossef Geva, head coach of Israel: “It was a tough match featuring two equally strong teams. We made less mistakes and we won. I would like to thank the organisers for the excellent conditions they have provided for this tournament.” 

Ido David, player of Israel: “It was our first match of the tournament. We showed good team spirit and we fought for every ball.” 

Urmas Tali, head coach of Estonia: “This match was too tough for us. We had problems in attack. Our opponent, on the other hand, took the initiative and we ended up losing this match.” 

Albert Hurt, player of Estonia: “We could not score points. We had to take many risks but we made mistakes.”



Hungary vs. Russia 0-3 (17-25, 14-25, 10-25) 

Russia started their campaign in Anapa playing Hungary, and the hosts soon set the tempo of the game (9-4) before claiming a compelling 16-8 lead at the second technical timeout. Hungary tried to respond with the spikes of Barna Frigyes Szabo and Balint Tomanoczy but Russia’s defence made the difference as the home side won the first set 25-17. Maxim Sapozhkov and Ivan Kuznetcov propelled Russia to an early 8-4 lead in the second set while Hungary struggled with their own mistakes. Russia stormed to 22-11 and the hosts comfortably closed the second set with a landslide 25-14 win. The course of the game did not change in the third set with Russia leading 8-3 and 11-4 and no timeout asked by Hungary coach Tibor Tomanoczy could produce some effect. Russia moved the score to 20-7 and Vitalii Dikarev finished it all off with a block for 25-10. 

Tibor Tomanoczy, head coach of Hungary: “We did what we could do today. Russia was very strong.” 

Andrey Nozdrin, head coach of Russia: “This was the first match for us in this tournament and we were nervous in the beginning. I am satisfied that we won this match but we need to work further.” 

Maxim Sapozhkov, player of Russia: “We did not make mistakes in the game but we need to improve our game, especially in spiking.” 

Pool C in Zdar nad Sazavou (CZE)

Finland vs. Denmark 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-17)

The first match of the #EuroVolleyU20M qualifier held in the Czech Republic was a truly exciting one. Both teams started the game a little nervously and made a number of mistakes. The first set was extremely close with Finland cashing their second set point for 25-23. In the beginning of the second set, Denmark played much better than they had before and as a result, they claimed a 14-12 lead. However, shortly afterwards they made some little mistakes and Finland turned the score to 21-18 in their favour with good attacks and big help from their great fans. The Finns eventually won the second set 25-22. The third set was not that dramatic. Finland played much better than their opponents did and managed a comfortable 25-17 win to seal their 3-0 victory.   



Janne Heikkinen, head coach of Finland celebrated the first win in Zdar nad Sazavou: “I am happy with this result. I think that we managed to play our own game. Denmark played extremely well too, but today we were better. We are happy with the result.” 

Jørgen Breinholm Jørgensen, head coach of Denmark was not too sad: “My feeling is that... we were close to winning some sets. The Finnish team was more patient and played with all of their spikers from start to end whereas we had some ‘power cuts’ in attack. However, it was a great experience for our young team.” 

Pool D in Herceg Novi (MNE) 

Latvia vs. France 0-3 (21-25, 18-25, 14-25) 

Latvia and France opened the programme of the tournament in Herceg Novi as both teams showed a great determination to win. At the beginning of the first set, both teams served extremely well and a close race unfolded until Latvia edged ahead (8-6) at the first technical timeout. France closed in with two fantastic spikes from their middle blocker and had a three-point cushion at the second technical timeout, before they went on to win the set 25-21. 
France started the second set by immediately imposing their tempo, leading 8-4 and displaying a very solid performance, which resulted in a comfortable 25-18 win. Latvia started very aggressively in the third set, leading the way at 3-1 but they soon trailed 7-8 at the first technical timeout. France continued to improve their level as the match progressed and showing more accuracy and efficiency in all aspects of the game, they imposed their rule to seal a well-deserved 3-0 victory. 



Montenegro vs. Slovenia 3-2 (27-25, 25-27, 25-21, 19-25, 15-13) 

The second match of the first competition day in Herceg Novi pitted hosts Montenegro against Slovenia. It was an extremely exciting game where the home side made many mistakes but the hosts emerged victorious after showing great character and determination with Milutin Pavicevic top scoring with 25 points. Slovenia started well but Montenegro won the first set 27-25. The second set, on the other hand, ended exactly the other way around. The third one was a close race with Montenegro making the difference with their serves (25-21). Slovenia responded by taking the fourth 25-19 and leading the way at the side switch in the tiebreak. After that, the Slovenian team made a few mistakes that Montenegro used to their advantage to win the set 15-13 and the match 3-2. 



Pool E in Ploiesti (ROU)

Sweden vs. Austria 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-13) 

Sweden got back on track after their 1-3 loss to Romania on the opening day to claim a very close and thrilling match with Austria. Sweden caught the best start, anchored by their setter Oskar Von Sydow and won the first set 25-20.
Austria claimed the lead by the end of the second set and brought it home at 25-22 but could not keep the same pace in the third where Sweden put a lot of pressure on their opponents with the right combination of serving, spiking and blocking. Austria came back strong in the fourth set where they played spotless and easily won 25-17.
Finally, it all came down to the tie-break where Austria seemed to be on the right track when Sweden outside spiker Daniel Gruvaeus managed to put an end to Austria’s hopes of success, thus winning the set and match at 15-13.

Pool F in Zrenjanin (SRB)

Serbia vs. Norway 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-20)

On the second day of competition at the #EuroVolleyU20M qualifier in Zrenjanin, hosts Serbia easily beat Norway 3-0 and on Saturday will take on Portugal to determine the eventual pool winner.

“I am satisfied with the result. We played well for the first two sets, but we thought that our rivals would beat themselves and it is always dangerous because you can easily lose control of the game. Luckily, for us that did not happen, as we showed we do have quality and even though it was harder than we expected, we wrapped it up in three sets. A sleepless night is ahead of my staff and myself since we have to figure out how to play against the Portuguese team now and try to do our best in the deciding match tomorrow,” said Vladimir Vasovic, head coach of Serbia.

Pool G in Humenne (SVK)

Greece vs. Turkey 0-3 (19-25, 15-25, 26-28) 

Turkey dominated the first two sets with a consistent performance overall. The Most Valuable Player from the last edition of the CEV U19 European Championship, Adis Lagumdzija was almost unstoppable. Greece set the pace (7-2 and 16-11) in the third set, but Turkey came back and had four match points at 24-20. Greece turned the score in their favour at 25-24, but wasted two set points and finally lost 26-28.



Akif Gökhan Öner, head coach of Turkey: “This was our first game in two weeks. We played well in the first two sets, but after that, we somehow stopped. This is Volleyball, finally we won in three sets and this is important.” 

Panagiotis Lakasas, head coach of Greece: “We were very bad with our passing in the first two sets. After that, we changed tactics using a jump float serve and it worked better. We eventually lost, but we played against a very good team. We miss four players here, but we try to do our best. Tomorrow there will be the most important game for us against Slovakia; we will try to win that one and move on to the next round of qualifications.”

Pool H in Cherkasy (UKR)

Croatia vs. Ukraine 0-3 (16-25, 17-25, 18-25) 

Croatia team captain Tomislav Mitrasinovic managed to open the match in favour of his side but Ukraine responded swiftly scoring as many as seven straight points. This set the tone for Ukraine’s supremacy in the match with the hosts standing out especially with their blocking game. Oleksandr Koval, Denys Veletskyi, Borys Yefymenko and Yevhen Politko did an extremely good job – as much as did their libero Andrii Zhukov. The second set went pretty much the same way and only in the third Croatia were able to put up a fight. At 10-10, however, with Yefymenko serving, Ukraine scored five times in a row and so they paved their way towards a 3-0 victory. 



Belarus vs. Poland 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20) 

Many expected this match to be a close fight but Belarus were able to control the game in the most important moments – which resulted in a relatively surprising 3-0 victory. The plot was always the same as the players coached by Oleg Mikanovich managed to score five points in a row at the end of each set. They did so after the score stood at 18-18 in the first set and 20-20 in the following sets. Belarus player Uladzislau Charnysh did his best and scored as many as 15 points for the winning side. 
 

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QUALIFICATION ROUND, DAY III

POOL A
 Switzerland -  Spain

 Bulgaria -  Italy

 

POOL B

 Russia -  Israel

POOL C

 Czech Republic -  Italy

 

POOL D

 France -  Slovenia

 Montenegro -  Latvia

 

POOL E

 Germany -  Sweden

 Romania -  Austria

 

POOL F

 Portugal - Serbia

 

POOL G

Slovakia -  Greece

 

POOL H
 Ukraine -  Poland

 Belarus -  Croatia

WATCH THE GAMES AT https://www.laola1.tv/en-at/channel/volleyball

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 QUALIFICATION ROUND, DAY III RESULTS

POOL A
 Switzerland 0-3  Spain

 Bulgaria 0-3  Italy

 

POOL B

 Russia 3-0  Israel

POOL C

 Czech Republic 1-3  Denmark

 

POOL D

 France 3-0  Slovenia

 Montenegro 1-3  Latvia

 

POOL E

 Germany 3-0  Sweden

 Romania 3-0  Austria

 

POOL F

 Portugal 3-1  Serbia

 

POOL G

 Slovakia 1-3  Greece

 

POOL H
 Ukraine 1-3  Poland

 Belarus 3-1  Croatia

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Portugal shock Serbia to join Russia, France into U20 finals 

 

Luxembourg, April 28, 2018.  Russia became the first team to secure a spot at the finals of the 2018 CEV U20 Volleyball European Championship - Men by winning their qualification pool. Later on Saturday France followed suit before Portugal delivered a shocking upset of Serbia in Zrenjanin to claim their ticket to #EuroVolleyU20M in the Netherlands and Belgium. Five more finalists are to become known on Sunday.

Denmark were the source of the other major surprise on Saturday as they hammered out a four-set win against the 2017 U19 European champions of the Czech Republic to stay in contention for one of the eight spots in the third qualification round reserved for the second-placed teams in the pools.  


Pool A in Corigliano Calabro (ITA)

Italy shut out the other unbeaten team in Pool A, Bulgaria, and set themselves within comfortable reach of the finals. With Spain beating Switzerland on Saturday, their survival game with Bulgaria on Sunday is likely to decide the important second place in the final standings.

Switzerland vs. Spain 0-3 (16-25, 22-25, 23-25)

Spain beat Switzerland at the end of a spectacular and enjoyable match that lasted one hour and 19 minutes. Always behind the Iberian team, the boys of coach Marco Foelmli managed at times to put their Spanish peers in difficulty. Spain’s Jordi Ramon Ferragut was the top scorer of the match with 23 points. The first set was quite one-sided, with the Spaniards much better and well in control of the scoreboard. The second and the third sets were more balanced and the winning margins at the end were quite narrow.



Bulgaria vs. Italy 0-3 (23-25, 16-25, 17-25)

Bulgaria started very strong and led the way for the most part of the first set. However, in the money time, the home team showed great determination for an exalting comeback with Diego Cantagalli contributing as many as 10 points. In the second and the third sets, Italy took command after competitive first halves breaking away to close them by wide margins. Cantagalli was the most prolific player with 19 points scored.




Pool B in Anapa (RUS)

Only one match in this pool was played on Saturday. With the Russians stamping their second straight-set victory, none of the other teams have a shot at catching up. On Sunday, the second place will be at stake in the match between Hungary and Israel.

Russia vs. Israel 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-21)

Russia took an early 5-0 lead to prompt a time-out for Israel. The Israeli narrowed the gap down to 5-8 with spikes by Ido David, but Russia had good all-around game and prevented Israel to get any closer. Despite Israel’s self-sacrificing game in defence, Anatoliy Volodin’s booming spikes finished the set off at 25-17. The two teams started trading points in the second set, but Russia overcome a slow start and jumped ahead to a 10-5 lead. Egor Sidenko started serving and after several aces improved the score to 16-6. Coach Andrey Nozdrin opted to use some reserves and set rolled on to a speedy 25-14 close. Russia continued to dominate on the court in the third set for a 8-5 lead. Coach Yossef Geva used a time-out and Israel levelled the score at 13-13 with spikes by Enosh Shtift. Andrey Nozdrin used his time-out to instruct the Russian players whose mistakes in defence allowed Israel to go 16-14 ahead. Russia levelled at 18-18 and went on to a 25-21 ending. Egor Sidenko was the best scorer of the match with 13 points.



Andrey Nozdrin, coach of Russia: “The team of Israel is very organised and play well in defence. We had to fight for every point.”

Konstantin Abaev, captain of Russia: “We were not confident today. We have many young players who are not very experienced.”

Yossef Geva, coach of Israel: “We tried to do our best, but we play against a very strong team.”


Pool C in Zdar nad Sazavou (CZE)

After losing to Finland on Friday, Denmark rebounded with a surprising win against hosts Czech Republic on Saturday, saving their chances for the second place in the final standings. The first will be contested between the Finns and the Czechs on Sunday, with the northern European side needing to win one set to qualify for the finals.

Denmark vs. Czech Republic 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19)

After losing the first set, Denmark came back stronger than ever. Their service was excellent. They had good reception and their setter Mads Jensen managed to do everything he wanted to. Denmark played their best game. In the fourth set the score was tied at 15-15, but the Danes broke away with a 21-15 lead and never looked back, showing that they were the better side in this match and delivering a major upset of the 2017 U19 European champs. Marek Sotola was the best scorer of the game with 22 points for the Czech Republic.



Tobias Hougs Kjaer, captain of Denmark: “This is incredible! I can’t believe we just beat the European champions. It is not every day you can play against European champions and today we won! I am really happy. We tried to outplay them throughout the game, we were aggressive and we did it!”

Jan Svoboda, coach of the Czech Republic: “I think that the first home match was very nervous for us. We won the first set, but after that Denmark showed their best game. They deservedly won today.”


Pool D in Herceg Novi (MNE)

At the end of Saturday’s competition day, France saw themselves untouchable on top of the standings with a ticket to the finals in the Netherlands and Belgium in their hands. With two straight-set wins on their record, they left the rest in the pool to fight for the second place.

France vs. Slovenia 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-15)

In the first set, the pre-favourites of this tournament, France, were better than Slovenia, especially in serving, and won by a wide margin, taking advantage of the many mistakes on the Slovenian side of the net. The second set started with more errors by the Slovenian team. The French imposed their tempo and continued to dominate with great serves. The Slovenian coach tried to change the course of the match through time-outs and substitutions, but nothing seemed to work. Two more landslide set scores shaped up the final result in this one-sided straight-setter.

Latvia vs. Montenegro 3-1 (30-28, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24)



Match report expected...


Pool E in Ploiesti (ROU)

With two wins and six points each, Germany and hosts Romania are now set to lock horns with each other on Sunday in the final battle for the first place in Pool E and a fast track pass to #EuroVolleyU20M.

Germany vs. Sweden 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-12)

Germany claimed their second victory in Ploiesti by pulling out a straight-set win over Sweden. The match with Sweden was fully under their control from start to finish, mostly thanks to their smashing spikes and blocking performance. The best scorer of the match was Germany’s Linus Weber with 15 points.



Romania vs. Austria 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-15)

The home guys of Romania delivered a superb performance to claim their second victory on home soil. It was an easy win for Romania in Ploiesti. The fearless Austrian team put up a real fight only in the second set, but they couldn’t have the upper hand in the end. The Romanian team made the best use of their time-outs to eventually seal a straight-set win. Nicolas Valentin Grigorie was the biggest point contributor, scoring 13 times for the winning side.




Pool F in Zrenjanin (SRB)

Portugal shocked the hosts of Pool F with a stunning four-set victory over Serbia in the deciding match in Zrenjanin. The squad from southwestern Europe secured their spot in the finals of the European Champinship, leaving the Balkan team with a consolation ticket to the next qualification round.

Portugal vs. Serbia 3-1 (25-22, 25-12, 13-25, 31-29)

Serbia started well and led by couple of points in the early stages of the first set, but the Portuguese guys slowly narrowed the gap and turned the score in their favour by the midsection of the set. Portugal kept their composure in the end and went on to win this part of the match. The second set was disastrous for Serbia, but the home team stroke back in the third. In the fourth set, Portugal were always in front by a couple of points, but Serbia managed to equalise at 21-21. At this stage, the fans in Zrenjanin saw a real thriller as both teams gave everything they had in the decisive moments. In the end, Portugal were slightly more focused and wrapped it all up at 31-29. Andre Marques was the top scorer of the game with 14 points for Portugal.



Nuno Miguel dos Santos Pereira, coach of Portugal: “I think we deserved this victory. I have a fantastic group of players. They prepared well and I want to congratulate them for this fantastic achievement.”

Vladimir Vasovic, coach of Serbia: “Clear victory for Portugal, no doubt! They played their game, with fast attacks and quick distribution to the ends, and we couldn’t respond. I think that we gave our maximum today, and we have to wait and see what happens next.”


Pool G in Humenne (SVK)

Greece achieved their first victory in Humenne. However, by winning one set against them, hosts Slovakia stayed in contention for one of the top two places in the final standings. Everything will be decided on Sunday in the last match between Turkey and Slovakia, where the home team need to win in less than five sets to let the set ratios play their magic.

Slovakia vs. Greece 1-3 (25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 19-25)

Slovakia started slowly, but finally won the opening set. Greece improved their level in the next part of the game. They served very well and their opposite was almost unstoppable. Alexandros Raptis collected 26 points and was the key player for Greece.



Peter Kalny, coach of Slovakia: "Serving was our biggest problem. We made a lot of mistakes in float service and this is unacceptable. Greece did not play through the middle, but we were not successful in defence. Their opposite Alexandros Raptis made the difference."

Panagiotis Lakasas, coach of Greece: "This game was our target, we wanted to win this. We played very focused, especially in tactical service. We didn’t risk it and achieved success. We also played better in reception than we did yesterday, but of course the opponent was different. We are happy with the win and the three points and with this result we took an advantage in the race for the second place in the pool."


Pool H in Cherkasy (UKR)

Neighbouring Belarus and Ukraine will meet face to face in Cherkasy on Sunday to determine the winner of Pool H, who will travel to the finals in the Netherlands and Belgium. After the second competition day in Ukraine, both Poland and Croatia are still in contention for the second place in the final standings.

Ukraine vs. Poland 1-3 (25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 23-25)

In the starting set the Polish players ran off with a three-point lead on several occasions, but the Ukrainians kept steady and caught up. After 22-22, Yevhen Politko, Oleksandr Koval and Ivan Kryvobok stood out with well-directed blows to bring the set to a 25-22 close in favour of the home side. However, in the second set, the players of Mariusz Sordyl intercepted the initiative to level the score. In the third set, the Ukrainian team broke away with a 14-11 lead, but a long series of mistakes ruined everything for them. In the end, coach Volodymyr Romantsov's team saved two of three consecutive set points for Poland, but the decisive serve flew into the net. Ukraine also started the fourth set with a powerful 6-1 lead, but then they wasted a whole bunch of good opportunities to keep this advantage and ended up in an almost hopeless situation – 15-19. Thanks to a successful block and well-directed spikes by Politko the score was tied at 23-23. However, two big errors in the money time proved fatal for the Ukrainian team. Yevhen Politko topped the scorers’ charts with 17 points.



Croatia vs. Belarus 1-3 (20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 18-25)

Powerful Belarusian hits through the middle in the first two sets forced Croatia to recognise the opponents’ solid superiority in class. But it seemed Belarus were too early to believe they won and, having noticeably relaxed, they immediately received a response from the Croats and lost the third set. The Belarusians worked hard in the fourth set and, in the end, the players of Oleg Mikanovich took the right steps to the victory, bringing them very close to qualifying to the #EuroVolleyU20M finals. Uladzislau Davyskiba was the most prolific player on the court making 14 points for Belarus.