Pasay City, PhilippinesWithin a few hours, the World Championship in the Philippines witnessed something unprecedented. First, Argentina shocked France and sent them home, and later the same fate befell Brazil. 'Seleção' lost to Serbia in the morning clash, which meant they had to depend on the result between the Czech Republic and China.
In the last match of Group H, the Czech Republic made another demonstration of will and character, decisively defeating China 3:0 and thus qualifying among the top 16 of the championship. This became a fact due to their better set difference.
In Pasay City, the Czechs entered with confidence, but also with maximum concentration. This was evident already in the first set, which ended 26:24 in their favor after dramatic rallies. Success in the opening part gave additional impetus to the team, which did not let go of the initiative until the end: 25:19 and 25:18 in the subsequent sets secured the clean victory.
Key Match Statistics
Attack: Czech Republic 47 – 39 China
Block: Czech Republic 10 – 4 China
Serve: Czech Republic 4 – 3 China
Opponent Errors: both teams with 15
Total Points: Czech Republic 76 – 61 China
In defense, the Czechs recorded 57 saved balls, against 53 for China. In reception, the Chinese team had the upper hand (66 against 51), and in distribution, the statistics were also in favor of the Asians (92 against 85).
Individual Standouts
Patrik Indra– 29 points, delivering a true leadership performance, including 23 successful attacks, 4 blocks, and 2 aces.
Yan Galabov– The player with Bulgarian roots finished with 11 points (two blocks and one ace), and his stability in reception and attack was crucial.
For China:Wang B. with 12 points was the only one with a double-digit score, and Wen J. H. added 7.
The Czech Republic's victory is beyond doubt – the team was more solid in attack and block, but the key turned out to be the first set. Winning it in overtime gave a psychological advantage that the Chinese never managed to overturn. Although the statistics for reception and distribution were in favor of China, the efficiency and consistency of the Czechs in attack, and especially in block, brought them a well-deserved clean victory.
