The qualifier tournament continued on Friday in another five pools while Pool B enjoying a rest day. Eight teams keep a perfect record of three wins in as many matches. Eight teams including France and Germany in Pool A, Slovenia and Belgium in Pool C, Estonia and Russia in Pool D, while Serbia and Finland are slowly cementing their role of dominant forces in Pool E and F, respectively. The winners of the six second-round qualifiers will progress straight to next year’s World Championship in Italy and Bulgaria, whereas the runners-up will have one last call with a third-round qualifier.
Pool A in Lyon (FRA)
Germany vs. Iceland 3:0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-14)
Turkey vs. France 0:3 (21-25, 18-25, 17-25)
Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan 3:0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-20)
As expected, Germany routed Iceland 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-14) to secure their third straight victory without trouble. Philipp Collin served four aces in first set, the young Icelandic team did not find any solutions and Germany comfortably sealed their 3-0 victory. Iceland captain said after the match that something is missing in this match, but they enjoy their stay and it’s a great experience.
French star player Earvin Ngapeth shown up at third set and joined the actions towards the end of the match. He has been out so far because of a recent injury. Head coach of France team said after the match: “I wish I could have given more time on the court to Earvin Ngapeth but it’s difficult to know how ready he is after his injury. He needs to find his rhythm back before Sunday’s big match against Germany.”
Pool C in Ljubljana (SLO)
Georgia vs. Latvia 0:3 (9-25, 17-25, 14-25)
Slovenia vs. Portugal 3:0 (25-21, 25-20, 27-25)
Israel vs. Belgium 0:3 (13-25, 18-25, 21-25)
The third day of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship qualifier in Ljubljana provided the fans with a few more thrilling matches. Latvia claimed their first victory while Slovenia and Belgium didn’t allow any surprises although they both had to raise the level of their performance.
Pool D in Tallinn (EST)
Romania vs. Kosovo 3:1 (25-12, 25-15, 21-25, 25-15)
Estonia vs. Montenegro 3:0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-16)
Hungary vs. Russia 0:3 (18-25, 17-25, 16-25)
Russia emulated Estonia to net their third straight victory in the pool when they defeated Hungary 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-16). It was a fairly close game in the first set when Russia led only 20-18 but after that, the favourites netted five straight points. In the second set they run to 15-7 and in the third one to an 11-3 lead, thus easily sealing their 3-0 victory by their excellent block-defence.
Russian head coach Sergey Shlyapnikov was satisfied that he had the chance to give a lot of playing time to some of his younger players. “It is very important in the longer run because in the near future we will start the FIVB World League and we have to make sure that we have many players who can compete on a high level,” he said.
Pool E in Zagreb (CRO)
Norway vs. Denmark 1:3 (21-25, 25-18, 16-25, 23-25)
Serbia vs. Switzerland 3:0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-18)
Croatia vs. Belarus 1:3 (14-25, 36-34, 16-25, 22-25)
Denmark claimed their victory against Norway on the third competition day in Zagreb. Norwegian first libero Øystein Bergum suffered an injury in yesterday’s game with Belarus and was replaced by Bjarne Nikolai Huus to that position. Peter Trolle Bonnesen, player of Denmark said after match:” Today’s match is a good comeback for us after yesterday’s loss in the match against Serbia.”
Serbia overpowered Switzerland on the third day of match and keeps the prefect record while Switzerland suffered their first defeat. Captain of Serbia team, Dragan Stanković said there are two more matches from which they expect further victories to secure their participation in the World Championship.
Pool F in Karlovy Vary (CZE)
Sweden vs. Finland 3:0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-21)
Northern Ireland vs. Cyprus 3:0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-22)
Spain vs. Czech Republic 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-10)
The third day of the World Championship qualifier in Karlovy started with a Nordic derby featuring Finland and Sweden. Finland ended up with a 3:0 victory and thus making another step forward towards qualifying to the World Championship.
Source and Photo: CEV
