National player Martin Atanasov and his teamGalatasaray HDI Sigorta (Istanbul)suffered a second consecutive loss in the final playoff for the title in the Turkish Efeler League. In match #2 of the series, played this evening in the "Burhan Felek" hall in front of nearly 2700 spectators, Galatasaray lost at home to the strong team ofZiraat Bank (Ankara)with1:3 (23:25, 15:25, 25:23, 25:27).
With this resultGalatasaray is now trailing 0-2 winsin the final series, which is played to three wins out of five matches. The situation for Martin Atanasov's team becomes extremely difficult before the next clash.
Martin Atanasovstarted as a starter for Galatasaray but was substituted in the first set. He returned to play in the middle of the second set but failed to show his usual effectiveness, finishing the match with just5 points (1 block). His attacking efficiency was 20%, and positive reception 48%.
The top scorers for Galatasaray were the two-time Olympic champion with FranceJean Patry with 17 points(2 aces, 52% attacking efficiency) and the Italian starIvan Zaytsev with 15 points(2 blocks, 41% attacking efficiency).
For the winners from Ziraat Bank, the American star was above allMatthew Anderson with a fantastic 25 points(2 blocks, 3 aces, 56% attack efficiency). Trevor Clevenot added 12 points, and Bedirhan Bülbül - 11 for his team's success.
The third and perhaps decisive match of the final series is scheduled forTuesday, April 29, at 7:00 PM Bulgarian time. The match will be played in Ankara, and with a win, Ziraatbank will win the title, while Galatasaray will have to seek a mandatory victory to keep their chances in the series.
