Bulgaria had to go through difficult moments before reaching a 3:1 (23:25, 25:22, 25:15, 25:20) victory against Israel in their fourth match of Group B at the European Championship in Sofia. After the match, Gianlorenzo Blengini and the national team players agreed on two things – the team did not start at the required level, and the controversial situation in the second set and the reaction of the crowd became the turning point.

Aleksandar Nikolov: "We deservedly lost the first set, we had gone out for a stroll."

Aleksandar Nikolov was most critical of the way Bulgaria entered the match.
"The important thing is that we won three points. Thanks to Israel for igniting the match. We deservedly lost the first set, we had gone out for a stroll, but then we managed to win. This is unacceptable and will not be repeated."
According to Nikolov, one of the positives is that after a bad start, the team showed its true capabilities.
"The only positive from this strange situation is that after the first set, the true face of our team was revealed. Perhaps the fact that we are hosts weighs on us. We are looking ahead and are ready for the match against Poland."
The outside hitter received a yellow card in the second set after the controversial situation, which further raised the tension in "Arena 8888". It was after this moment that Bulgaria changed its behavior on the court.
"Certainly, when there's something extra personal, I'm ready to show that face. Other times I need to play this way throughout the entire match."
Nikolov also highlighted Denislav Bardarov's performance and already turned his attention to the last match in the group.
"I'm glad that Denis Bardarov can carry a heavy load in attack. I'm sure we'll fight tooth and nail against Poland to show the face we had in the third and fourth sets against Israel. I'm inspired for this match to show what we can do."

Denislav Bardarov: "Every team wants to play at their maximum against us."

Denislav Bardarov, who finished with 18 points, admitted that the pressure affected Bulgaria at the beginning.
"It was tough. The match was even and difficult. We narrowly missed the first set, but I'm glad it turned out this way. We woke up after the first set. We started tense, but then we relaxed."
According to the young outside hitter, the national team players must also be ready for the additional motivation with which opponents play against the world vice-champions.
"Every team wants to play at their maximum against us. They gave everything, but they couldn't maintain their level."
Bardarov does not shy away from his growing role in the offense.
"There is responsibility, and I am positive about accepting it. There must be someone to take responsibility. Alex and I hold the first position in attack, but that is also thanks to Moni."

Asparuh Asparuhov: "I have never been in a louder hall anywhere."

Asparuh Asparuhov started as a starter and after the match, he focused mainly on the role of the nearly 10,000 spectators in the hall.
"The match was turned around by all those people who were in the hall and lifted us up, because we were obviously in a very difficult situation. We fell into a very bad moment. Just when we were getting energy due to better play, things suddenly started going downhill again. I am very grateful to the people who supported us, because they gave us the strength to cope with the difficulty and win the match."
Asparuhov admitted that the team was not flawless even after the comeback.
"We strived for success, even though at the end we made a few blunders in our desire to do something better and more interesting."
But his strongest impression remained the atmosphere in "Arena 8888".
"I don't know how many people were in the hall today, but I have never been in a louder hall anywhere. The people got angry and injected us with a specific energy that is necessary. They lifted us up."
According to Asparuhov, dealing with pressure is one of the next steps in the development of this Bulgarian team.
"The difficult start is solely due to pressure, nothing else. This is part of it. But to become among the best in the world, we must learn to deal with this. When we learn to overcome it, we will win even more convincingly. We will give our best for the Poles to feel our motivation."

Gianlorenzo Blengini: "We became worse in a good way"

Head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini sought some of the reasons for the difficult start in the loss to Ukraine in the previous match.
"We didn't start the match well, perhaps also under the influence of the disappointment from the match with Ukraine. This was a consequence first of our emotional state, which also affected our technical abilities."
And Blengini pointed to the controversial moment in the second set as the spark that changed the match.
"I liked the team's reaction, which was perhaps provoked by that moment of protest. From that moment on, there was an emotional shock that changed the team's behavior, as well as even the technical qualities. We started serving better, we became worse in a good way, better in attack."
The Italian now expects a completely different challenge against Poland.
"We always try to suffer as little as possible, but this question is difficult before the match with Poland. Joking aside, we have a match against the best team with exceptional quality and we will certainly suffer. But we are preparing to suffer in all matches, and against Poland, we are aware that we need to play a very big match."
Blengini emphasized that the team should not simply forget the bad periods, but use them in the development process.
"We must remember the bad things very well to understand what we should not do. This is very important. We must remember negative situations, not put them aside. To remember the mistakes where we lost the point, the set, or the match. We should not be masochists, but remember everything."
The head coach also made an important distinction between unnecessary errors and risk, without which, in his opinion, volleyball cannot be played at the highest level.
"It is clear that we must limit errors on easy balls. But to play at a high level, errors are part of the risks you have to take. At the high level, it is not enough to make few mistakes, you have to take risks, accept some mistakes, knowing that they are part of the high level."
After the victory over Israel, Bulgaria has three wins and one loss in Group B. The last test before the eliminations is the most serious – against European champion Poland on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov