Bulgarian middle blocker Krasimir Georgiev and his Rapid (Bucharest) suffered their first loss of the season in the Romanian Divizia A1. In a match from the third round, the team from the capital lost their away game against Craiova with a score of 1:3 (20:25, 25:20, 18:25, 21:25).
Georgiev started as a regular and remained on the court for all four sets. The Bulgarian middle blocker finished with 8 points – 7 from attack and 1 from block. He converted 7 out of 12 attacks (58% success rate) and ended the match with a positive coefficient of +4.
At the heart of the hosts' success was the Serbian opposite Strahinja Brzakovic, well-known to the Bulgarian public. The 32-year-old volleyball player, who played for CSKA during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, played an excellent match and became the top scorer with 25 points – 19 from attack, 4 blocks, and 2 aces. Brzakovic finished with 53% efficiency in attack and an impressive coefficient of +17.
Another volleyball player with experience in the Bulgarian championship also stood out in the winning team – Slovak national Branislav Hanušek, who defended the colors of Beroe (Stara Zagora) for the past two seasons. The middle blocker recorded 8 points – 4 from attack, 3 from block, and 1 ace, finishing with 44% success rate in attack and a coefficient of +4. Thus, the two former players from the Bulgarian Superliga contributed a total of 33 points to Craiova's success.
The hosts won the first set 25:20, but Rapid responded with the same score in the second. Craiova regained the initiative in the third set, winning 25:18. In the fourth set, the visitors took an 8:6 lead, but the hosts turned it around to 16:13 and closed the match at 25:21.
A crucial factor for the victory was blocking, with Craiova scoring 12 points against 6 for the visitors. Brzakovic and Hanušek contributed 7 of their team's successful blocks. Gregory Gempens added 14 points for the winners, while the top scorer for Rapid was another player who has played in the Bulgarian championship - Bradley Gunter with 21. Luca Martonoș finished with 10, and Krasimir Georgiev was fourth in scoring for the team from the capital.
Before the away game in Craiova, Rapid had recorded two consecutive victories against CSM Bucharest and Steaua, both with a score of 3:1. The defeat ended the successful streak of the team from the capital, while the hosts increased their points to 7.
In the next round, Rapid will host Unirea (Dej), and Craiova will host Zalău.
photos:SCM Craiova
