Bulgaria's U18 national team recorded their fourth victory at the European Championship in Italy, after defeating Belgium 3-0 (25:22, 25:23, 25:19) in their fifth match of Group II, played in Cisterna di Latina.
The victory did not come as easily as the final score suggests. Miroslav Zhivkov's squad had to put in serious effort against the tough Belgian team, but in crucial moments, they demonstrated greater composure.
Bulgaria started the first set with a flourish and took an 8:2 lead right from the start. The lead was maintained at 16:10, and a little later, the national team led 21:16. In the final rallies, however, there was a momentary lapse, which allowed Belgium to significantly reduce their deficit. Despite this, the Bulgarian volleyball players did not lose the initiative and with strong final points, closed the set at 25:22.
The second set was the most contested. Bulgaria once again dictated the pace and led 8:5, and then 16:14. The Belgians stayed close in the score until the very end, and at 21:20, the outcome was still in doubt, but the 'lion cubs' once again showed strong nerves and after 25:23, they doubled their lead.
In the third set, the Bulgarian team left no doubt as to which was the better team. The national team pulled ahead 8:3, increased their lead to 16:9 and 21:13, after which they calmly concluded the match with a convincing 25:19.
Team statistics also show how valuable the victory was. Bulgaria finished with more successful blocks – 11 against 9, as well as with better positive reception – 52% against 48%. Belgium scored more points in attack (38 against 30 with 31% against 29% efficiency) and more service aces (3 against 1), but the Bulgarian team compensated with excellent discipline. The national team made only 3 service errors against the opponent's 15 and won an impressive 33 points from Belgian errors against only 14 for Belgium. The total score in the match was 75:64 in favor of Bulgaria.
Nikola Gradinarov was the top scorer for Bulgaria with 13 points, while Pavel Dzhenev and Adrian Ganev added 8 each. For Belgium, Fere van Pelt finished with 13 points.
After the fifth round, Bulgaria is second with a record of 4 wins, 1 loss, and 12 points, with only a better point ratio giving France first place in the group, as they have an identical record otherwise. Ahead of the 'lion cubs' are two decisive matches against Czechia and Spain, which will largely determine whether the team will secure a spot in the semifinals and continue the fight for medals in Porto San Giorgio. Tomorrow, the young 'lions' will face third-placed Czechia in the provisional standings, who have a record of three wins and two losses. The match starts at 16:00 Bulgarian time.

Photo credit: cev.eu