The Bulgarian national team delivered a true volleyball spectacle in front of over 6,000 spectators in "Arena Burgas", defeating the strong Japanese team with a score of 3:0 (27:25, 25:23, 25:19) in their first match of the second week in the Nations League. Amidst the thunderous applause of the fans and with a strong collective spirit, the squad led by Gianlorenzo Blengini demonstrated composure, class, and inspired play against the fourth-ranked team in the world.
🔴First set – drama with a happy ending: 27:25
Right at the beginning, captain Alex Grozdanov led the team with a strong attack and block, and Bulgaria pulled ahead 4:0, forcing Laurent Tillie to take an early timeout. Japan managed to catch up and take a 23:20 lead, but our national players showed character. Aleksandr Nikolov with two powerful pipes, a block by Grozdanov, and a skillful play by Simeon Nikolov turned the tide in favor of the "lions". A great reception by Martin Bozhilov allowed for a key combination with the centers. The crowd erupted at 27:25 – Bulgaria took a 1:0 lead!
🔴Second set – control and composure: 25:23
The set started evenly, but Antov and Asparuhov attacked confidently, and Alex Grozdanov was solid in the middle. Ilia Petkov's serve led to a counter-attack, realized by Simeon Nikolov for 19:17. Simeon added an ace, and Aleksandr Nikolov executed an extremely powerful attack for 24:21. Although the Japanese got closer at 23:24, their nerves failed – Yamazaki made a serving error, and Bulgaria won the second set 25:23.
🔴Third set – Bulgarian hurricane: 25:19
The most convincing set came at the end. Ilia Petkov and Venislav Antov were flawless – Antov with two consecutive aces, and Petkov with decisive attacks. At 10:4, the atmosphere in the hall was electric. Simeon Nikolov conducted the game with ease, and Asparuhov and Aleksandr Nikolov checkmated the Japanese defense. Another ace by Antov and a block by Grozdanov sealed the dominance – 25:19 and a 3:0 victory!
📊Match Statistics:
Attack: Bulgaria 42 – Japan 37
Block: Bulgaria 9 – Japan 6
Serve: Bulgaria 7 aces – Japan 3
Points from opponent's errors: Bulgaria 19 – Japan 21
Total points: Bulgaria 77 – Japan 67
Top scorers:
Aleksandar Nikolov – 17 pts.
Alex Grozdanov – 12 pts.
Venislav Antov – 11 pts.
Miyaura (Japan) – 11 pts.
Kai (Japan) – 13 pts.
After this impressive victory, Bulgaria now has 3 wins and 2 losses and is in 6th place in the overall standings with 8 points. The next challenge is on Friday at 7:30 PM against the bronze medalist from EuroVolley 2023 – Slovenia. The support from the stands in Burgas is already felt as the eighth player! 🇧🇬💪
| Player | Total points | Attack | Block | Aces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleksandar Nikolov | 17 | 14 | 1 | 2 |
| Alex Grozdanov | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| Venislav Antov | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Asparuh Asparuhov | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Iliya Petkov | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Simeon Nikolov | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Stoil Palev | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Atanasov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Bozhilov | — | — | — | — |
| Rusi Zhelev | — | — | — | — |
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
