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Croatia become the first finalists of this year’s Golden European League, after beating Spain in a four-set clash. Both teams met in the first semi-final of the day, but Croatia established dominance across significant part of the game. Bulgaria competed with the Czech Republic in the second semi-final, winning the match in straight sets. The Final Four hosts controlled the encounter and enjoyed a warm support of the local fans. On Sunday Croatia and Bulgaria will meet in the gold medal match, while Spain and Czech Republic will play for the bronze.
Semi-final
Spain vs Croatia 1-3 (12-25, 25-10, 18-25, 23-25)
Croatia began the match with significant dominance, extending the gap from 5-6 to 10-16 and finishing the set with over twice as many points as the Spanish side. Croatians led in block, scoring 5 points while Spain didn’t gain any points in this element in the opening part.
Spain hit back from the beginning of the second set, taking the similar point advantage that Croatia had in the previous set. Led by Ana Escamilla, who emerged as the top scorer after this set, the Spanish team soon jumped to a 16-7 lead that expanded into 21-9, giving Croatia no room to bounce back. Spain made the score even, winning the second set 25-10.
The third set turned to be more competitive on both sides of the net as both teams fought point by point. Slowly Croatia worked towards establishing a lead that eventually turned into a 11-16 gap. Spain attempted to decrease the point difference, coming as close as 17-21, but Croatia claimed the third set at 18-25.
The fight became even tighter in the fourth set, as neither team managed to get a significant lead over their opponent. Croatia pushed towards the end of the set and soon led 18-22, but Spain hit back and decreased the gap to 21-23, forcing Croatia to call a time out. The break did not help Croatians, as Spain followed with another point coming as close as 22-23. Croatia followed with a point that gave them the first match point of the semi-final. Spain managed to defend Croatia’s first match points but an error on their side helped Croatia to close the match and become the first finalist of the Golden European League.
“Croatia is a very strong team. They served very well. We equalised in the second part, but this was not enough. Martina Samadan of Croatia was the difference between both sides, she played brilliantly. My goal is to win the game for the third place. I always force my players to give their best.”
Pascual Saurin
Coach of Spain
Croatia will play in the final today
“It was a very hard game. The women’s volleyball is something special. We played perfectly in the first part. Then we lost the second. We won the third one. The fourth was a nervous play. It was very important to reach the final – for the team and the federation. Tomorrow we need to show more qualities. Bulgaria are the favourites, but the Czech Republic are strong too.”
Daniele Santarelli
Coach of Croatia
Semi-final
Czech Republic v Bulgaria 0-3 (13-25, 23-25, 19-25)
Bulgaria opened the match with a strong head, quickly taking a 6-11 lead. The Final Four host maintained and further extended the gap when Hristina Vuchkova recorded a successful run at the service line, helping her team to reach 10-17. Bulgaria continued to pressure Czech Republic with their serve and they secured the opening part at 13-25.
Czech Republic improved their game in the second set, keeping a tight score with Bulgaria until 13-13, when Bulgarians scored two back to back blocks. Czech Republic were not able to tie the score or go ahead and Bulgaria claimed the second set with Czech Republic trailing 23-25 this time.
Bulgarians started the third set with newly found energy, quickly turning the advantage into a 3-10 gap. Czech Republic attempted to chase their opponent, decreasing it to 9-14, but Bulgaria persisted with their performance. Two points were keeping Bulgaria away from winning the match, when Czech Republic scored four points in a row, forcing Bulgarians to call a time out. The first match point came at 17-24, when Czech Republic 5-point scoring run came to an end. Bulgaria sealed the deal on the victory with their match point.
“I want to congratulate my players! I want to send much more congratulations to our fans. It was a great atmosphere and it helped us a lot. We made too many easy errors, but I am satisfied with the win. We want to win the final. Croatia is a strong team.”
Ivan Petkov
Coach of Bulgaria
Czech Republic will compete with Spain for the bronze medal
“The atmosphere was awesome! The Bulgarian fans are so patient. They contributed a lot to Bulgaria’s victory. We tried to challenge in the second part, but we could not. Bulgaria deserved to play in the final. We want to get the third place.”
Ioannis Athanasopoulos
Coach of Czech Republic
News:
CEV – European Volleyball
HOS – Volleyball Croatia
CVF – Czech Volleyball
June 18th, 2021
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