The reigning European champion concluded their participation in Sofia with a decisive 3:0 (25:23, 25:17, 25:17) victory over Germany and is heading to Milan, where the set of medals will be distributed.
Expectations were for a much more contested quarter-final. Germany reached this stage after a dramatic comeback against Bulgaria from 0:2 to 3:2, while the Poles had a 2:3 loss to our national team in the group behind them. This time, however, Nikola Grbic's team did not allow the match to unfold in a similar scenario.
Germany remained in the match only in the first set
The start was even. Poland gradually reached 8:6, and after an error by Tobias Brand, the lead became 9:6. The Germans did not allow their opponent to pull away and, thanks to good performances by Moritz Reichert and Tobias Krick, they got back into the set. At 19:18, the difference was already just one point. In the final rallies, the Poles remained calmer. Germany stayed close to their opponent until the very end, but on set point, Erik Röhrs sent the serve into the net – 25:23 for Poland.
Poland pressed and the match went in only one direction
The second set completely changed the picture. Poland started with 4:1 and gradually increased the lead. Wilfredo Leon created serious problems with both his attack and his serve, and Bartosz Boladz continued to reliably finish Marcin Komenda's sets. At 15:9, Massimo Bottie was already forced to use his next timeout, but the Germans found no solution. After an ace by Bartosz Lemanski, the score became 19:11, which allowed Grbic to make rotations in the squad. Kamil Semeniuk ended the set at 25:17.
Germany's last attempt
Bottie's team tried to change the course in the third set and took a 6:3 lead after two consecutive aces by Röhrs. The lead reached 8:4 and for a short time it seemed that the Germans could bring back the intrigue.
However, Poland gradually closed the gap. A block by Szymon Jakubiszak tied the score, and Leon and Tomasz Fornal began to win the key rallies. At 15:15, everything started over, but this time the initiative was already with the Poles. Jakubiszak led his team ahead, Leon made it 18:16, and from then on, the German resistance gradually ended. The last point was again scored by Jakubiszak – 25:17 and a clean 3:0. The most effective player in the match was Wilfredo Leon with 17 points, 9 of which were scored on Poland's own serve. Bartosz Boladz added 13 points for the winners, and for Germany, Erik Röhrs was the top scorer with 12, followed by Tobias Brand with 11. Szymon Jakubiszak also made an important contribution to the Poles' success with 9 points.
Thus, Germany, which two days earlier inflicted a painful defeat on Bulgaria after a comeback from 0:2, failed to repeat its performance against the European champion. For Poland, the Sofia part of EuroVolley ended successfully, and Nikola Grbic's team continues to the decisive phase in Milan.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
