Reigning champion Swietelsky-Békéscsaba hosted ‘rookie’ Dinamo Zagreb, and the Hungarian team proved that they prepared well against the Croatian League’s points leader.
The opening set started with a tight battle but showed some signs of what was coming in terms of runs. Dinamo scored four straight, then Békéscsaba not only equalized but took a commanding lead with a 12:3 scoring spree. The visitors weren’t able to keep the pace of the defending champion as BRSE cruised to an 11-point win in the first set.
The second one’s script was way different, though. The home team jumped off to an early lead, but this time, the visitors did not let them run away. They fought back, tied the score, then built a two-point lead and earned two set points. However, the Hungarians kept their poise and scored four unanswered to hold off their rivals.
They carried on the momentum and started the third set in dominating fashion. Their advantage quickly reached 10 points and they never looked back, finishing off the Croatians. This win helped Békéscsaba back to the top of the standings and also secured them a spot in the semifinals.
Swietelsky-Békéscsaba (HUN)–OK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 3:0 (14, 24, 12)
Gábor Tóth: “To be fair, our opponent was missing their starting setter and opposite. It could have been a great battle with high intensity, but ended up an easy win for us because of that. Obviously, I’m not dissatisfied, and I’m glad that our young players had the chance to play in an international match.”
Igor Simuncic: “Congratulations to the opponent! I saw some chances at some parts of the game but we couldn’t use them, and of course, the punishment came for that. We are looking forward to taking on more opportunities like this with our young team and I wish all the best for Békéscsaba in the future!”
