SK Zadruga Aich/Dob loses a Champions League thriller

CEV, Luxembourg. Four teams were in action today in yet another exciting day of Champions League Volley as Pools D and F continue to provide entertaining encounters from the 1st Round of the competition. With every match having the potential to decide the faith of the qualification to the next round, teams cannot afford to make any wrong moves and that translates into a palpable intensity of the matches that could be felt today as well in Austria and Italy, where the two tournaments are taking place.

For live streams of all matches from the competition or to view those already played visit EuroVolley.TV!

Pool D: SK Zadruga AICH/DOB (AUT) vs Neftochimik BURGAS (BUL)

After a convincing win in the first encounter between the two teams, just days ago, SK Zadruga AICH/DOB displayed another solid performance, maintaining the audience’s excitement in a neck-to-neck race, but in the end the Bulgarian champions Neftochimik BURGAS edged the win.
Konrad Formela (match MVP) as well as Maximilian Landfahrer confirmed once again to be in good shape both scoring 20 points this evening, whereas among the Bulgarian squad, Jani JELIAZKOV also managed a great performance (18 points).
Martin MICHEU, Sports Manager SK Zadruga AICH/DOB: “Our rookies really seem to enjoy this tournament and have already achieved more than expected! It’s a pity we could not win this thrilling match tonight, but the Bulgarians could manage to control the essential parts of the game, which is necessary to win such a tight affair.”

Pool F: OK Vojvodina Seme NOVI SAD (SRB) vs IBB Polonia LONDON (ENG)

The second match day of Pool F brought a win for OK Vojvodina Seme Novi Sad that excludes IBB Polonia London from the qualifications race. This evening, the Serbians won a very balanced match, especially in the first two sets, with the two often alternating the lead. The comeback of the last part of the third set has been important for the win of Novi Sad. At 18-21, the team coached by Sinisa Gavrancic made a comeback and won by 25-23, taking over the match. In the fourth set London couldn’t keep up with the opponent’s rhythm and lost by 3-1.
“We are happy to have won this match and to be able to play tomorrow evening against Trentino Itas without pressure. Today’s match was hard and difficult, but we won thanks to the attention we put in all the fundamentals and the teamwork that has grown over time,” declared the Serbian opposite spiker Aleksandar Blagojevic, scorer of 14 points.
“I think it was a positive experience for this team, we have fought at our best, considering that we found ourselves together only a few days ago,” said Marcus Nilsson, the opposite spiker of IBB London, best scorer of the match with 22 points.
Thursday evening, again at the BLM Group Arena (20:30 CEST) Novi Sad will face the hosts in the final and decisive match of Pool F.