Brazil. The Bulgarian national team started its participation in the Volleyball Nations League with a disappointing 1:3 (25:20, 24:26, 24:26, 23:25) loss to Belgium in their first match of the tournament in Brazil.
Gianlorenzo Blengini's players had a very strong first set and were twice just two points away from victory in the second and third sets, but failed to close out the crucial moments. The Belgians showed more composure at the end of the individual sets and achieved a complete comeback.
The loss also cost Bulgaria 9.46 points in the world ranking, causing them to drop one position to 10th place.
The loss occurred in front of the president of the federation, Lyubomir Ganev.

Match development

Bulgaria started the match confidently. An ace by Simeon Nikolov gave them a 4:3 lead, followed by strong performances from Aleksandar Nikolov, Alex Grozdanov, and Asparuh Asparuhov. After a block by Simeon Nikolov, the score became 11:8, and in the middle of the set, the Bulgarians were already controlling the events at 16:12.
Asparuhov scored an ace for 18:13, and at the end of the set, he was again dominant in attack. He sealed the final 25:20 with a powerful attack against the block.
In the second set, Bulgaria continued to play stably and, after an ace by Asparuhov, led 20:17. However, Belgium caught up and, with better play in the decisive rallies, snatched the set 26:24.
The third set went point for point. The Bulgarians reached 24:24 after an attack by Aleksandar Nikolov, but again failed to score the key points, and Belgium won 26:24.
In the fourth set, the national team led 13:10 after a series of strong attacks by Aleksandar Nikolov. However, the Belgians turned the tide, and at the end, Ferre Reggers and Pierre Perin secured the victory. The last point of the match came after a service into the net by Simeon Nikolov for a final 25:23.

Match statistics

Bulgaria surpassed their opponent in attack (51:45) and block (7:4), but lagged significantly in serves (5:9 aces). Even more indicative is the difference in points gifted by errors – Belgium received 39 points compared to 33 for Bulgaria. The high number of unforced errors proved to be a decisive factor in the final result.

Statistics show that the Bulgarians were more stable in reception and practically equal in game organization. However, Belgium compensated with more effective serving and fewer errors in decisive moments.

Top scorers

Aleksandar Nikolov played a very strong match and finished as the top scorer on the court with 25 points. Asparuh Asparuhov added another 15 points and was among the key figures for Bulgaria, especially in the first set. For Belgium, Pierre Perrin became the top scorer with 16 points.
Bulgaria's next match is against Iran tomorrow evening at 10:30 PM Bulgarian time.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov