The Bulgarian national team for men under 21 recorded a second consecutive loss at the World Championship in China. In a groupCmatch in Jiangmen, Ventsislav Simeonov's boys lost 2:3 to Japan, despite having an advantage in the tie-break.
Match flow
Bulgaria started confidently and took the first game with 25:22. In the second and third, however, there was a serious drop in play, as in the third set our team made a total of8 unforced errors, which tilted the scales in favor of the opponent.
In the fourth game, the Bulgarians showed character –the block worked (6:0)and they equalized the score after 25:23. In the tie-break, it seemed that control was in our hands – a lead of 8:5 at the change of ends. However, the Japanese made a series of counter-attacks and, after key attack errors by Velichkov and Rusev, turned the score around.
The decisive moment came at 9:10, when Tomislav Rusev sent a counter-attack out. Until the end, Japan held the initiative, and the last point came after another inaccurate hit out by Kandev.
Squad and changes
Simeonov started the match with two changes – Vitektov replaced Zekov as setter, and Rusev moved Nikolaev to the middle. In the third game, Kristiyan Andreev also entered, finishing the match as libero.
Set scores
Bulgaria – Japan 2:3 (25:22, 20:25, 18:25, 25:23, 12:15)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 25 | 20 | 18 | 25 | 12 |
| Japan | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 15 |
Bulgaria had the psychological advantage in the first and fourth games, but the large number of errors and the lack of composure in decisive moments deprived the team of success.
Match statistics
| Bulgaria | Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 51 | 64 |
| Block | 14 | 6 |
| Serve | 6 | 9 |
| Opponent errors | 29 | 31 |
| Total points | 100 | 110 |
The block was Bulgaria's strong weapon (14:6), but we fell seriously behind in attack - 51 successful attacks against 64 for Japan. The serve also did not bring enough points. The Japanese played more rallies and showed stability in attack.
Individual performances
| Bulgaria | Points | Japan | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kandev (13) | 23 | Kawano (2) | 24 |
| Bachvarov (1) | 17 | Ono (9) | 23 |
Kandev and Bachvarov led the Bulgarian attack with a total of 40 points, but the Japanese duo Kawano - Ono was even more effective (47 pts.) and their consistency at the end tilted the match.
Bulgaria showed fighting spirit and potential, especially in blocking, but poor efficiency in attack and mental breakdowns in the tie-break proved costly. Decisive matches in the group are ahead, in which Simeonov's team must find greater stability in reception and finishing attacks.
