CSKA youth player Viden Natsev successfully participated in Narbonne's emphatic 3:0 (25:22, 25:15, 25:18) away victory against Ajaccio in the first round of the French Cup tournament.
The match was played today in the "U Palatinu" hall on the island of Corsica in front of 850 spectators, and the success secured Narbonne a place in the round of 16.
Natsev started the match on the bench but got a chance to play in the third set. The Bulgarian made the most of his opportunity, scoring 2 points from 2 attacks and finishing with 100% attacking efficiency, without making a single error.
The most effective player for the winners was the Pole Mateusz Czerwinski with 13 points, including 3 aces, while Nieves added 12 points, also with 3 direct points from serves.
Narbonne had a significant advantage in serving, finishing with 10 aces against only 1 for the hosts. The visitors also demonstrated better attacking efficiency – 51% against 39% for Ajaccio.
With the victory on the island of Corsica, Patrick Duflo's team secured participation in the French Cup round of 16, scheduled for November 24. The first round of the tournament includes representatives from the elite Marmara SpikeLeague, as well as teams from lower divisions of French volleyball.