Bulgaria's men's national team U21 suffered its third loss at the World Championship in Jiangmen, China. Ventsislav Simeonov's squad lost to the favorite in GroupC - Czech Republic0:3 (22-25, 16-25, 19-25). Our team failed to find rhythm in any of the sets, and the high number of unforced errors (33) significantly affected the result.
📊 Match Statistics
| Team | Attack | Block | Serve | Opponent Errors | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 32 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 57 |
| Czech Republic | 32 | 8 | 2 | 33 | 75 |
Both teams finished with the same number of successful attacks (32), but the big difference was in blocking – the Czech Republic scored 8 points against only 3 for Bulgaria. The double difference in unforced errors (mostly from serve) weighed heavily in favor of our national team's opponent.
🏐 Defense and Reception Play
| Team | Digs | Reception | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 38 | 61 | 85 |
| Czech Republic | 53 | 39 | 77 |
In defense, the Czech Republic was far more stable – 53 saved balls against 38 for our team. Bulgaria excelled in reception (61 against 39), but this element did not lead to stability in attack.
⭐ Top scorers
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Kandev (No. 13) | Bulgaria | 11 |
| Velichkov (No. 3) | Bulgaria | 9 |
| Brichta (No. 15) | Czech Republic | 15 |
| Pastrnak (No. 14) | Czech Republic | 9 |
Kandev was the top scorer for Bulgaria with 11 points, and Velichkov added 9. For the Czech Republic, the star was Brichta with 15 points, and it was his stability in attack that tipped the scales.
Bulgaria showed moments of good organization, but the lack of concentration and the high number of errors became the main reason for the defeat. With three losses, our team is in fourth place in GroupC, and the chances of qualifying among the top 16 in the world are becoming minimal. Tomorrow our team faces Brazil, who plays Cuba today.
