Pasay City, Philippines.The Polish men's national volleyball team managed to console themselves with the bronze medals from the World Championship in the Philippines. Nikola Grbić's team traveled to Asia with the ambition of becoming world champions, but after a disappointing semi-final exit, they settled for their first-ever third place, secured after a 3:1 victory over the Czech Republic.
Leon's performance opened the battle for bronze
The start of the match was even, but it quickly became a stage for Wilfredo Leon to showcase his class. The Polish ace led the offense, and Kamil Semeniuk's ace put the 'red-whites' ahead 11:7. The Czechs struggled with their own serve and often made errors, which simplified Poland's task. The last points in the first set came precisely from opponent's inaccuracies.
The Czech Republic gets back into the match
Poland also took a convincing lead in the second set (14:9), after Kevin Sasak scored an ace. However, the Czechs began to find their rhythm – Patrik Indra attacked with varying success, and Martin Licek became a key figure. After a series of Polish errors, the score was tied, and after a block against Leon, the Czech Republic even took the lead. In the final minutes, Vasina was accurate and brought about an equalizer in the sets.
A hard-fought third set
Nikola Grbić made changes – Tomasz Fornal came in for Semeniuk, and Jakubiszak replaced Huber. The Poles took an 11:7 lead, but the opponent did not give up. After an unpleasant collision between Popivchak and Kochanowski, which fortunately did not lead to injuries, the Czech Republic got back into the match. In the decisive moments, however, Jakubiszak showed class, and Indra's attack into the net brought set points for the Poles, converted by Leon.
Poland finished off the opponent
The fourth set started better for the Czech Republic (6:4), but after a timeout, Poland found solutions. Kochanowski's serve and an active block led to an 11:7 run. The lead grew after successful attacks by Leon and Jakubiszak, although Klimeš brought back intrigue with a few strong plays. At 24:20, Poland reached four match points – the first was saved by Vasina, but a Czech error decided the match.
Czech Republic – Poland 1:3
(18:25, 25:23, 22:25, 21:25)
The most effective scorer for the Czech team was Lukáš Vasina with 19 points, but the lack of a second consistent scorer proved decisive. Support from Indra and Klimeš came too late, and service errors (over 15) heavily weighed in at the end.
Wilfredo Leon was the undisputed hero for Poland – 26 points with over 60% attack efficiency. Sasak and Jakubiszak added important contributions, and the Polish block and saved balls in defense tipped the scales in the decisive moments.
Poland failed to achieve its main goal – the title – but showed character and class in the most difficult moment. The victory over the Czech Republic is historic – it brings the first bronze medal from a World Championship in the history of the men's national team. After the disappointment of the semi-final, Grbić's team leaves the Philippines with their heads held high and with the feeling that the next peak is no longer so far away.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
