Brazil. The Bulgarian national team returned to winning ways in the League of Nations, after decisively defeating Iran 3:0 (25:23, 25:18, 25:21) in their second match of the tournament in the city of Brazil. The success also holds additional value for the "Lions", who at least partially took revenge for the painful defeat against the Persians in Gdansk last summer – a loss that then deprived Bulgaria of participation in the final tournament of the VNL.
Gianlorenzo Blengini's team demonstrated stability in all elements of the game, with Aleksandar Nikolov once again standing out. The star of Bulgarian volleyball scored an impressive 24 points in just three sets and was the main driving force behind the victory.
The first set was the most contested. The Bulgarians managed to maintain composure in the decisive moments and snatched the set with 25:23, which gave the team the necessary calm.
In the second set, the national players asserted their dominance from the very beginning. A block by Asparuh Asparuhov and Alex Grozdanov secured a 2:0 lead, and a powerful attack by Martin Atanasov extended the advantage to 3:1. The Iranians made errors in attack, and after an attack by Asparuhov along the diagonal, Bulgaria led 6:3.
Strong play at the net by Iliya Petkov and Alex Grozdanov, combined with Simeon Nikolov's excellent setting, allowed the Bulgarians to maintain a comfortable distance. At 13:9, after a block by Aleksandar Nikolov, Iran's coach Roberto Piazza called a timeout, but this did not change the course of events. The Bulgarian continued to trouble the opponent with powerful attacks and blocks, and after a triple Bulgarian block, the "Lions" closed the set at 25:18.
The third set started evenly, but Bulgaria gradually took control. The combination between Simeon Nikolov and Alex Grozdanov brought a 9:8 lead, and subsequently, Moni Nikolov impressed with an incredible defensive save, leading to a point for 17:16. In crucial moments, Aleksandar Nikolov once again took responsibility, executing a counter-attack for 20:18 and an ace for 22:19. After an attack by Iliya Petkov in the middle, Bulgaria reached match point at 24:21, and Martin Atanasov sealed the deal for the final 25:21.

This success is Bulgaria's first in this year's edition of the League of Nations and brings valuable points in the battle for a place among the top teams in the tournament. The most encouraging aspect for Blengini is that the team showed character after a difficult start and demonstrated significantly greater confidence against the traditionally challenging opponent from Iran.

Analysis:Although Iran had a slight advantage in reception and scored more points from opponent errors, Bulgaria compensated with a significant superiority in attack (42 vs 30 points) and blocking (10 vs 5). These two elements proved decisive for the clean 3:0 victory. The national team was also more effective in defense, recording 40 defensive saves against 31 for the Iranians.

Aleksandar Nikolov was above everyone on the court with 24 points, more than double the score of Iran's best scorers. His effectiveness in the key moments of the second and third sets ultimately tipped the scales in favor of Bulgaria. Alex Grozdanov also had a strong match with 11 points, being a major factor in blocking.
An additional highlight is that the victory brought Bulgaria 7.58 points for the world ranking, and the national team once again climbed to 9th place in the world with a total of 259.43 points, while Iran lost the same number of points and remained in 18th position. This makes the success even more valuable in the battle for a higher ranking and a place in the final tournament of the Nations League.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov