Pasay City. Philippines.The Polish national team took another decisive step on their way to the final of the World Championship in the Philippines. In a Round of 16 match in Pasay City, Nikola Grbić's players defeated Canada by 3:1 sets. Only in the second set did the "Maple Leafs" manage to take the initiative, which greatly angered Nikola Grbić. In the remaining three sets, the Olympic silver medalists demonstrated their class and left no doubt as to who was the better team.

Poland – Canada 3:1 (25:18, 23:25, 25:20, 25:14)

How the match unfolded

Poland started with a bang – a stable block, secure defense, and excellent concentration on serve led to a convincing 25:18. In the second set, the Canadians took advantage of their opponent's inaccuracies and equalized with a strong attack after 25:23. The third set saw the Poles regain control – 25:20, and in the fourth set, Grbić made a series of successful tactical substitutions, and his team literally crushed their opponent with 25:14. Towards the end of the set, 2/3 of the champion team Bogdanka Lublin – Komenda, Sasak, Leon, and McCarthy from Canada – were on the court for a moment.

Statistical highlights

Canada had a slight advantage in attack (52 successful kills against 48 for Poland), but the difference came from other elements – the block was a clear advantage for the Poles (10 against 7), as was the serve (5 aces against 2). Most significantly, however, the Poles capitalized on a total of 35 unforced errors by Canada, while they themselves committed only 16.

In defense, Grbić's team also showed stability – 57 digs, which neutralized many of the North Americans' attacks. Although Canada registered a better reception (86 against 56), this did not affect the final result because the Poles compensated with a more efficient block and more skillful utilization of opponent errors.

Star leadership

A key figure for Poland was Kamil Semeniuk with 16 points, supported by captain Bartosz Kurek, who added 15. For Canada, Shaw was the top scorer with 23 points, while Dawson Young finished with 12.

What's next

With their victory, Poland qualified for the quarterfinals, where on September 24 they will face Turkey – a team that is gaining increasing momentum and will be a serious test for the "red-whites'" ambitions to reach the title match.

And if against Canada the Poles allowed themselves to drop a set, in the next round such a luxury will not be afforded to them. Turkey awaits – and the stakes are already high.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov