After a dramatic and painful loss to Spain, the Bulgarian youth national team will face the Republic of Korea in their first match for 5th to 8th place at the U19 World Championship, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The match is scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd.
Our boys started excellently against "La Roja", taking a 2:0 lead in sets, but allowed a comeback and lost 2:3 (26:24, 25:19, 17:25, 17:25, 8:15). After an inspired performance in the first two sets, the Bulgarian team lost rhythm and initiative, and the Spaniards imposed their will with more aggressive attacking and stable blocking.
Quarter-final results:
Korea – Poland 2:3
(17:25, 26:24, 25:27, 25:19, 13:15)
The Asians once again impressed with their fighting spirit and excellent digs in defense, but could not hold out in the decisive tie-break. Poland wins a second tie-break match in the elimination phase, after the Round of 16 against favorites Pakistan.France – Italy 3:1
(25:22, 21:25, 32:30, 25:18)
The European champions demonstrated class and mental resilience, especially in the nail-biting third set.Iran – Finland 3:1
(30:28, 21:25, 25:16, 25:20)
The Iranians imposed their powerful game after a contested first set and controlled the development until the end.Spain – Bulgaria 3:2
(24:26, 19:25, 25:17, 25:17, 15:8)
After an excellent start, our team conceded the initiative.
Semi-finals – August 3rd (Saturday):
Poland – Spain
This will be a kind of revenge for Spain after the third-place match at EuroVolley 2024 in Sofia, when the Poles defeated the Iberians 3:2.France – Iran
A clash between the current European champion and the physically most powerful team in the tournament. A high level and tactical outwitting are expected.
5th-8th Place Playoff - Bulgaria vs. Korea (August 2):
Bulgaria will face Korea in the first playoff for places 5th to 8th. The Koreans play with their typical speed and excellent defense, so our team will need to show character and consistency to get back on the winning path.
