Cuba defeated Poland in Gdansk and is one step closer to the finals

Cuba stopped Poland with 3:1 in the Nations League - a tragic end for the Polish team in the fourth set

On Thursday evening atErgo Arenain Gdansk, the Polish national team suffered a painful 1:3 (25:22, 19:25, 21:25, 24:26) loss to Cuba in a Nations League match. Nikola Grbić's players were close to a tie-break but collapsed in crucial points of the fourth set, which they dramatically lost after leading 24:21. With this victory, the boys from the Island of Freedom solidified their seventh place and are now more confidently looking towards the finals in China.

🇨🇺Good start for the Poles

The match started with three quick points for Cuba, including two blocks against Wilfredo León. Gradually, the hosts got back into the game, and at 20:19, they took the lead after an opponent's error. Kochanowski increased it to 23:21, and Kevin Sasak scored the attack for 1:0 for Poland.

📉Difficulties in attack

The second set started evenly, but again with many service errors from both teams. Cuba was the first to set the rhythm, led by Marlon Yant and Gomez. Fornal brought back hopes with two consecutive strong performances, but Poland's attack remained unstable, and a service error brought the equalizer - 1:1.

🔥Cuba tightens its grip

The third set again started with the Caribbean team's superiority - 3:0, 7:2. Despite good performances from the Polish block and Fornal's attempts to get back into the game, Grbić's players struggled to organize attacks from the wings. Consecutive errors and poor reception led to the loss of the third game as well - 1:2.

💔The fourth set - from hope to collapse

Hopes for a comeback flared in the fourth set. Artur Szalpuk and Jakub Nowak inspired Poland to a 16:12 lead. But Cuba responded with aggressive play at the net, where Concepción blocked the Polish attacks. At 24:21, the hosts had three set points, but a block by Simon and two counter-attacks by Yant turned the score around. The last point came after a direct block against Kamil Semeniuk - 24:26 and 1:3 in the match.