Pasay City, Philippines.In the 'Mall Of Asia Arena' in Manila, the Czech Republic defeated Tunisia 3-0 in sets and qualified for the quarterfinals of the Men's Volleyball World Championship. Camilo Placi's team, a former coach of Bulgaria, could not counter the powerful play of the Europeans, who demonstrated stable serving and balanced attack. Thus, the Africans are left only with their historical qualification among the top 16, while the Czech Republic improved its best performance since 2010 in Italy, when it finished 10th. Since then, for 15 years, they had not reached a world final.

Match progression

• First and second set– The Czech Republic set the rhythm from the very first rally. Strong serves and varied attacks left no chances for the Africans.

• Third set– Tunisia changed its approach. Their serve began to trouble the opponent's reception, the defense started working, and the attack efficiency increased. The difference reached five points in the middle of the set, but the Czechs showed character. They methodically erased the deficit, and the decisive point came after an attack by the opposite hitter of Poland's Częstochowa, Patrik Indra.
  

  
  

With this success, the Czech Republic awaits its opponent from the match between Serbia and Iran, which will determine the last quarterfinalist.

Historical context

As the successor to Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic has a rich history at the World Championships:

• gold in1956and1966,

• four silver medals in the period1949–1962.

However, the 'final four' has eluded them for55 years.

Set scores

The Czech Republic completely controlled the first two sets. Only the third part showed hesitation, but their experience and concentration brought them a clean victory.

Team statistics

<table> <tr><th>Indicator</th><th>Tunisia</th><th>Czech Republic</th></tr> <tr><td>Attack</td><td>32</td><td>42</td></tr> <tr><td>Block</td><td>2</td><td>4</td></tr> <tr><td>Serve</td><td>4</td><td>8</td></tr> <tr><td>Opponent errors</td><td>22</td><td>21</td></tr> <tr><td>Total points</td><td>60</td><td>75</td></tr> </table>

Comment: The Czechs excelled in all elements – especially in attack and serve. Tunisia had similar defensive stats, but the difference in attacking power was key.

Defense and distribution

Defense was high for both teams, but the better distribution of the Czech team allowed for a more effective attack.

Top scorers

Comment: Indra was key with 14 points, including the last one in the match. The Czech Republic player with Bulgarian roots Galabov supplemented the attack with 13, while for the Tunisians, two players finished with 10 points each, but without the necessary support from the others.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov