By John Verghese
Doha: Polish team PGE Skra Belchatow rallied brilliantly to overcome a stiff challenge from Russia’s Zenit Kazan 15-25, 25-23, 25-21, 26-24 and seal their place in the final of the FIVB Men’s Club Volleyball World Championship at the Aspire Zone indoor hall yesterday.
In the final today, Belchatow will clash with favourites Trentino of Italy , who humbled Iran ’s Paykan 25-18, 25-22, 25-19 in 76 minutes in the second semifinal .
Earlier, Belchatow were winners as they raised their levels by several notches after losing the first set and also by winning the big points as the Zenit Kazan players caved in under pressure in the absence of their star player Clayton Stanley, who was rested due to an injury.
Belchatow’s win was built around a solid performance by Bartosz Kurek, Stephane Antiga, who excelled in attack and defence as well as setter Miguel Falasca.
For Zenit, Sergey Tetyukhin did the bulk of the scoring.
Belchatow coach Jacek Nawrocki attributed the tactics he employed in the high quality match as the reason for the victory.
“We were nervous and tense in the first set but after that I asked the players to concentrate on each point and also prepared them for the next two sets so we could finish the contest in four sets. Since our team has highly skilled players with good technique they responded well and that is why we could win,” he said
“The tactic of playing Mariusz Wlazly and Stephane Antiga at crucial moments in the match also paid off,” he added.
Zenit Kazan coach Vladimir Alekno said his team had lost to a superior side. “Though we missed the services of Stanley (Clayton), the Polish team was definitely the better team on the day,” he said.
“We made mistakes at important moments and we did not come good with our counter attacks after we won the first set,” said Zenit Kazan captain Lloy Ball.
“To help in the recovery of Stanley for the ensuing Russian league we decided to rest him and that also played a role in our loss,” he added.
Earlier in the opening set, Zenit Kazan made a bright start using their strong spiking skills and continued to pressurise their rivals. With Maxim Pantelemonenko and Sergey Tetyukhin playing a prominent role, the Russian team led 14-7 but despite substitutions by the Belchatow coach, the Russian side took the set at 25-15.
Belchatow were a transformed team in the second set as they improved on their spiking skills with Kurek succeeding with regularity in getting past the Russian blockers. But after trailing 8-5, Zenit Kazan bounced back into the match to draw level at 16-16, but with both teams fighting hard, the return of Antiga helped the Polish team take the set at 25-23.
Errors by Zenit Kazan in the defence and attack in the third set allowed Belchatow to go ahead 7-5. But with the Belchatow lead being cut to 16-14 mainly due to excellent spiking by Sergey Tetyukhin, Belchatow brought back Wlazly and Kurek to provide the finishing touches and take the set at 25-21.
In the fourth set, Zenit Kazan improved on their returns, defence and spiking for a 12-8 lead. But with spectacular spiking by Kurek and Antiga, Belchatow frustrated the Russian team blockers on the big points to help their side win the set and match at 26-24.
Meanwhile, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) president Jizhong Wei has in a letter to the Qatar Volleyball Association (QVBA) president Dr Abdullah al-Mal praised the excellent organisation and high level of competition in the championship and has also thanked the Qatar government and the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) for their support in making the event a success.
Results: Semifinals: PGE Skra Belchatow (Poland) bt Zenit Kazan (Russia) 15-25, 25-23, 25-21, 26-24; Trentino (Italy) bt Paykan (Iran) 25-18, 25-22, 25-19.
Today’s schedule: 3/4th place playoff: Zenit Kazan ( Russia ) vs Paykan ( Iran ), 6 pm. Final: Trentino ( Italy ) vs PGE Skra Belchatow ( Poland ), 8 pm. (Both matches at Aspire Zone indoor hall). |
