A very tough match, very difficult and extremely emotional, especially at the end – with the thrill during the video review of the last ball. But we are very happy that we fought our way to this semi-final phase, the opportunity to play for medals, and that we did it after such a difficult duel. We had serious difficulties in the first two sets because they played really very well. In the first set, we had chances at the beginning, which we didn't use well; after that, they pulled ahead and put us under pressure.
However, we were good at not losing faith that we could come back into the match. Gradually, we regained some of our weapons, and in the end, everything came down to one ball – we won and we are happy.
After the second set, we changed the positions of the two middle blockers, but more importantly, we managed to improve our serve, which wasn't working for us. Especially those serves that aren't aimed directly at scoring an ace needed to be more precise and effective. We achieved this with some players, less so with others, but overall we made few errors and created more opportunities for ourselves. Tatarov came in very well, Palev was crucial at the end of the fourth set, and Iliya served better. Both the fourth and fifth sets were point for point. The truth is, we didn't change much – we kept our faith that we could do it, we thought ball by ball, and we waited for the USA to give us a chance so we'd be ready to take it.
The next match will be very difficult. The Czech Republic plays very well, and this championship showed something I've been saying for a long time – there is no longer a clear 'geography' in world volleyball. Many national teams play strongly, and to compete at a high level, you have to consistently show your best volleyball. The Czech Republic had an excellent tournament and has many experienced players who compete in strong European championships. An extremely difficult match awaits us – but a World Championship semi-final cannot be easy.
Our goal remains the same – to think only about the present day, to concentrate on the next ball during the match without looking for unnecessary explanations, and to know that we will have to suffer and fight. We must continue this way, and we are happy that we will have the opportunity to do so for a few more days.
I don't know if the players' mentality is different now than in the past – I don't want to judge; I don't know the previous situations well enough. I only know that this generation of boys has shown that they believe in hard work, effort, and dedication. And I am pleased because their results provide proof that hard work, effort, and sometimes even patience with the coach who annoys them, ultimately lead to improvement.
