The Bulgarian men's national volleyball team U20 started their series of friendly matches against France with a victory. In the first control match, played in the capital's "Hristo Botev" hall, coach Ventsislav Simeonov's trainees convincingly defeated "Les Bleus" 4:1.

The matches are part of the final stage of preparation for the Bulgarian team for the upcoming European qualification, which will be held in Sofia. The two teams will play two more control matches today and tomorrow, giving the coaching staff the opportunity to try out different game variations before the official matches.
The European qualification will take place from August 25-29 in Sofia and will provide the first opportunity for Bulgaria to directly qualify for the European Championship. In addition to the hosts, the national teams of North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Russia, and Belarus will also participate in the tournament.

The team's confidence is further boosted by the addition of seven volleyball players who, just a few weeks ago, won bronze medals with the Bulgarian national team U18 at the European Championship in Italy.
Ivaylo Donov, Kristiyan Kosev, Pavel Dzheneve, Antoan Veselinov, Adrian Ganev, Nikola Gradinarov, and Nikola Velikov have already joined Ventsislav Simeonov's team, and they will bring additional quality and competition to the squad before the qualification matches.

The control matches against France are among the most important tests for the young national players before the decisive matches at the end of August, when Bulgaria will fight for a place at the European Championship. The victory in the first match is a good sign for the team's development and gives confidence before the upcoming official challenges.

photos: bfv.bg