Former head coach of the Bulgarian national team Plamen Konstantinov achieved an impressive success at the helm of Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk), leading the team to the grand final of the Russian Cup! 💥 The 'Railwaymen' decisively outplayed the host and national champion Zenit (Kazan) with a 3:1 (25:23, 22:25, 25:20, 25:21) victory in the first semifinal of the Final Six, played this afternoon in front of nearly 5,000 spectators.
🏆 This is Lokomotiv's first qualification for the tournament's final since the 2016/17 season, when they lost to Zenit (Kazan) with a score of 1:3. Now Konstantinov's players will seek revenge and a historic title in tomorrow's final (May 11, 7:30 PM Bulgarian time) against the winner of the other semifinal – between Dynamo (Moscow), with Tsvetan Sokolov in their squad, and Zenit (Saint Petersburg).
🔴 Vasily Molotkov, who played for Bulgarian Montana last season, was also part of Lokomotiv's team. He came on as a substitute in the third set, serving – a sign that the coaching staff relies on him even in key moments.
🎯 Omar Kurbanov was the most valuable player for Novosibirsk's success with 19 points (including 3 blocks and 4 aces), while Rajabidibir Shakhbanmirzaev and Marko Ivović added 17 and 16 points respectively.
📉 For Zenit (Kazan), the leaders did not show their usual strength – Artyom Volvich and Dmitry Volkov scored 10 points each, and Maxim Mikhailov managed only 9.
