The Polish national team achieved a dramatic victory over Belgium with3:2 (21:25,23:25,25:19,28:26,15:13)in the second Nations League tournament in Gliwice. Nikola Grbić's team was trailing 0:2 in sets, but managed to complete a full comeback in front of their home crowd.
The success brought the Poles a minimal increase of0.01 pointsin the world ranking, with which the leader in the standings now has374.84 points. Belgium lost the same number of points and remained in 14th place.
Belgium dominated the first two sets
The visitors started much more confidently and took advantage of Poland's problems in attack. Ferre Reggers and Seppe Rotty led the Belgians to success in the first set, after their block proved crucial in the final rallies.
The second set started excellently for Poland, which built up a 6:1 lead, but Belgium gradually closed the gap. Reggers' strong serving streak and stable blocking allowed the Belgians to turn the tide and take a 2:0 lead.
Poland found its rhythm
After the break, the Poles stabilized their reception and began to use their middle blockers much better. Bartlomiej Boladz and Aleksander Śliwka led the team to a convincing start in the third set, which proved enough to reduce the deficit.
The fourth set offered real drama. Poland was leading 23:18, but Belgium equalized after a series of successful counter-attacks by Reggers and a serve from Samuel Fafchamps. In the most tense moments, the hosts held out mentally and closed the set with a successful block against the Belgian opposite.
Boladz decided the tie-break
The decisive fifth set was completely even. Poland experienced serious difficulties in reception, and Belgium remained close in the score until the very end. At 13:12, Bartlomiej Boladz executed an extremely important attack, and shortly after, Aleksander Śliwka brought the winning point for the hosts.
| Team | Attack | Block | Serve | Points from opponent's errors | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 57 | 14 | 7 | 34 | 112 |
| Belgium | 74 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 108 |
Belgium significantly outperformed Poland in attack (74 against 57 points), but the Poles compensated with a stronger block (14:11), more direct points from service (7:4), and most importantly, with the huge difference in points coming from opponent's errors (34 against 19). It was discipline in critical moments that tipped the scales in favor of the hosts.
| Statistic | Poland | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive digs | 71 | 84 |
| Receptions | 88 | 97 |
| Organized attacks | 126 | 142 |
| Top scorer | Bartosz Boladz – 24 pts. | Ferre Reggers – 34 pts. |
| Second top scorer | Artur Szalpuk – 17 pts. | Seppe Rotty – 18 pts. |
The statistics show what a high-quality match Belgium played. The team was better in defensive digs, reception, and game organization, and Ferre Reggers finished with an impressive 34 points. Nevertheless, Poland found a way to win thanks to their more effective blocking game, fewer errors made in key moments, and a strong performance from Bartosz Boladz, who scored 24 points and was the main catalyst for the comeback.
After this success, Poland is in 7th position in the VNL, Belgium is 11th.
Photo:volleyballworld.com
