OFI defeated Kifisia 3:1 and for the first time in its history qualified for the Final Four of the Greek Men's Cup. In the 'Zirini' hall, the Cretans recorded a historic success, securing their place among the top four teams in the tournament.
Yiannis Kalamazidis' team showed excellent play and deservedly achieved the great success. In the semi-finals, which will be held in Arta on March 28-29, OFI will face Olympiacos, and the other pair will oppose Panathinaikos and Niki Kolev's PAOK.
Match Development
First set: Kifisia started better and after an attack by Sklyarenko took a 9:6 lead. OFI responded with a series of three consecutive points and equalized at 9:9, and after an ace by Mihajlovic, took an 11:10 lead. In the decisive phase, the visitors were more stable and closed the set with 25:23.
Second set: The development was similar - Kifisia led 8:6, but OFI again overturned the result and won 25:22.
Third set: The hosts completely dominated and led 8:3, 16:7, and 21:9, before convincingly closing the set 25:12.
Fourth set: OFI took a lead of 11:7, but Kifisia managed to close the gap to 14:16. At the end of the set, a dramatic finish ensued, in which the visitors missed several match points, but still triumphed 28:26 after an unsuccessful attack by Georgi Petrov.
Statistics
1-3 (23-25, 22-25, 25-12, 26-28) in 107 minutes.
Top scorers
Georgi Petrov (Kifisia)- 13 pts (10/19 attacks, 1 ace, 2 blocks)
Okosanovic (Kifisia) - 22 pts (14/28 attacks, 8 aces)
Mihajlovic (OFI) - 22 pts (17/38 attacks, 2 aces, 3 blocks)
Sklyarenko (OFI) - 15 pts (14/26 attacks, 1 block)
Makinen (OFI) - 14 pts (7/14 attacks, 5 aces, 2 blocks)
OFI continues to make history and will fight for a place in the Cup final!