In a match full of errors, Bulgaria recorded their second victory in this year's VNL edition against Germany with a score of 3:2 (25:22, 22:25, 25:19, 23:25, 15:12). The match lasted more than two and a half hours, with Bulgaria conceding 38 unforced errors against Germany's 32. Bulgaria dominated in blocking with 14 points against only 5 for their opponent. Michal Winiarski's boys had an advantage in serving, where they managed to score 7 aces, compared to 3 for our team. Both teams performed well in defense, with Germany having a slight edge in reception. Bulgaria won in individual efficiency, with the main contribution coming from Alex Nikolov. For the first time since the start of the tournament, Krassimir Georgiev and Georgi Tatarov (with an important block in the tie-break) entered the game and performed successfully.

His brother Moni finished with the most points from blocks - 4, adding 2 points in attack and 1 ace.

And in this match Veni Antov was effective and despite some fluctuations, he finished second in scoring for our team - 17 points.
Germany's top scorers were Rörs with 18 points, John with 17 points, and Torvi with 10 points.
A situation where Moni showed resourcefulness became a hit on social media:

🏐 First set (25:22 for Bulgaria)

Germany started stronger and took a 2:0 lead, but Bulgaria managed to equalize at 5:5. The game went point for point, with Alex Nikolov standing out with several key attacks. At 21:19 in favor of Bulgaria, the German coach called a timeout, but this did not stop the "Lions'" momentum. The set ended 25:22 after an ace by Nikolov and an excellent block.

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Germany pulled ahead 5:1 after Bulgarian errors and a strong serve. Bulgaria managed to catch up and equalize at 6:6, but the Germans regained their advantage after good plays in the middle. Moni Nikolov and Alex Nikolov tried to bring back the intrigue, but a series of errors and strong play by John and Kunstmann decided the outcome. A missed serve by Petkov brought the set to an end – 25:22 for Germany.

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After an even start, Bulgaria took the initiative with a 9:6 lead after a thunderous ace by Moni Nikolov. Good blocking and effective counterattacks, led by Asparuhov and Antov, increased the difference to 20:14. Germany failed to counter the varied Bulgarian attack. Alex Nikolov sealed the final 25:19, giving Bulgaria a 2:1 set lead.

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Bulgaria started strong, but Germany quickly turned it around to 8:6 after effective attacks by Rörs and Torvi. After an equalizer at 13:13, the Germans led 19:16 and held their advantage despite a brief Bulgarian surge. Stoil Palev and Moni Nikolov brought back the intrigue with an ace and a block, but Germany kept its composure. A pipe attack by Rörs fixed the final 25:23 and 2:2 in sets.

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Bulgaria took a 5:2 lead after an excellent counter by Alex Nikolov and strong blocking. Germany reduced the deficit to 9:8, but Iliya Petkov and Georgi Tatarov, who came in for Asparuh Asparuhov, provided new momentum with blocks. An ace by Palev at a crucial moment also contributed to the Bulgarians' lead. At 13:9 after a block by Iliya Petkov, Bulgaria seemed confident of success, and Antov gave his team the first match point at 14:10. A video challenge made the score 14:11, after which Alex Nikolov was caught on a block, which caused a second timeout for Bulgaria. After a German attack, two video checks followed, one of which gave a point to the German team, making the score 14:13. A subsequent video check for stepping on the service line by Erik Rörs was also successful, and with that, the match ended in favor of Bulgaria.
After the end of the match, during the team's victory photo, all the players showed the video challenge sign, emphasizing the importance of that moment.

With this victory, Bulgaria climbed two more places in the world rankings and is now 15th.

The success climbed Bulgaria to 7th position in the VNL ranking.