The Bulgarian national U17 boys' team plays against Venezuela today in the Round of 16 of the World Championship in Doha. The match is at 2:00 PM Bulgarian time in the Al Arabi Sports Hall.
Ivan Stanev's boys reached the elimination rounds in the best possible way – as winners of Group D and with three wins from three matches. Bulgaria defeated Egypt 3-0, Spain 3-1, and in the decisive match for first place, they beat Turkey 3-1 (25:23, 18:25, 25:19, 25:20).
Against the Turks, captain Milko Bagdasarov was once again the leader with 20 points. Krastin Ilov and Veli Sezgin Sali added 16 each, and Kaio Pavlov finished with 13. Bulgaria made an impressive 14 blocks and 9 aces, with serving and play above the net becoming the team's main weapon.
Venezuela finished the preliminary phase in third place in Group A. The South Americans concluded their participation in the group with a 0-3 (25:27, 14:25, 15:25) loss to France and now stand in Bulgaria's way to the world's top eight.
With a win today, the national team will qualify for the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the Brazil – India match. The Brazilians are the clear favorite in this pairing, so even before the Round of 16, a much more serious test for Bulgaria could emerge – a quarterfinal against Brazil.
The Brazil – India match starts at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time, three hours after the start of Bulgaria – Venezuela. Thus, with the expected outcome of the two Round of 16 matches, the Bulgaria – Brazil clash for a place in the semifinals of the U17 World Championship will be set tonight.
