The Bulgarian national volleyball team recorded a clean victory over China – 3:0 (25:23, 25:16, 26:24) – in their second match of Group 7 in the last week of the main phase of the Nations League. The match was played this evening in Ergo Arena in Gdansk, and Gianlorenzo Blengini's boys showed class and will in key moments. 🇧🇬💪A great match for libero Damian Kolev, who is making his debut in the tournament.

With this success, the "Lions" achieved their fifth victory since the start of the tournament and climbed to 11th place in the temporary standings with 15 points (5 wins, 5 losses). Chances for the finals remain minimal, but the Bulgarian team continues to play with confidence and character. The next challenge is tomorrow (July 19) at 6:00 PM against host Poland – the Olympic silver medalist. 🆚🇵🇱

🟩 Game by game:

🔹First set (25:23):
Bulgaria started hesitantly, but stable play in the center and effective blocks (Grozdanov and Petkov) brought the first serious advantage – 9:6. The Chinese, led by Vital Heynen, responded with good attacking plays, especially Dao Shuai Ji. After 20:19 for the Asians, Bulgaria showed composure – two opponent errors, an ace by Simeon Nikolov, and a strong finish. Venislav Antov and Alex Nikolov decided the set with a block-out and a counter – 25:23. ✅

🔹Second set (25:16):
Total domination by the "Lions"! Alex Nikolov shut down all service channels with a series of direct points, and his counters were merciless. Grozdanov and Tatarov performed excellently at the net, and Iliya Petkov added an important block. At 19:12, everything was decided, and after a timeout by China, Bulgaria confidently closed the set after an opponent's attack went out – 25:16. 🚀

🔹Third set (26:24):
Here the two teams exchanged the lead numerous times. Georgi Tatarov erupted with a series of attacks and an ace, and Asparuhov shone with a crucial block for 22:19. China, however, saved four set points and reached 24:24. At the most intense moment, Bulgaria showed maturity – an attack through the center by Grozdanov and a block by Alex Nikolov ended the dispute – 26:24. 🧱

🏐 Team stats:

Bulgaria dominated in almost all key elements of the game. Our national team scored more attacks (41 vs 37), but the real difference came from the block (9 vs 5) and the serve (6 vs 4), where Alex Nikolov made a crucial contribution with three aces. In addition, the "Lions" forced the opponent to make 20 errors, 3 more than their own errors, which also tipped the scales. The overall point difference (76:63) clearly shows that the victory was achieved not only with concentration but also with superiority in important moments. A

Technical elements:

It is interesting that China had better reception (64 vs 54) and more sets (94 vs 87) - a sign that their style includes longer rallies and varied attacks. However, Bulgaria managed to make more digs (55 vs 51), which is indicative of the fighting spirit and concentration of our volleyball players. It was this defensive resilience and offensive effectiveness that made the difference in key rallies.

Top scorers:

Individual statistics:

Tomorrow we face a new big challenge - against the hosts from Poland.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov