Spanish Guaguas Las Palmas, who eliminated Levski in the third qualifying round for the Champions League group stage, is just one victory away from qualifying for the quarterfinals of Europe's strongest club tournament. The Spanish team achieved an extremely valuable home victory against French Montpellier HSC VB with a 3:1 score (25:15, 23:25, 25:17, 25:22).
The second referee for the match was Vanya Parvanova, who partnered with top referee Stefano Cesare.
The match lasted 111 minutes, and the hosts dominated for long periods of the encounter, especially with strong serving and a solid block.
Nikolay Kartev was not registered for the French team, which is why the Bulgarian did not take part in the match. From the Spanish side, Dobromir Dimitrov appeared in the game for Las Palmas, entering for a brief rotation in the second and fourth sets.
This was El Guaguas' tenth victory in the current edition of the Champions League out of a total of thirteen matches played.
The most effective player for the winners was Francisco Wallison Bezerra Sousa with 18 points, followed by Nicola Bruno with 15, Helder Roney Mendes Spencer with 13, and Osmany Juantorena with 10.
The 40-year-old setter Miguel Ángel de Amo was chosen as the MVP of the match, additionally scoring 3 points for his team's success.
The top scorer in the match was the visitors' opposite hitter Simon Hirsch with 21 points, but this was not enough for Montpellier to win.
Las Palmas started the first set very strongly. The hosts pressured their opponent with a stable serve and an effective block, which allowed them to quickly build a comfortable lead and close the set at 25:15.
In the second set, Montpellier stabilized their game. The French team dominated in blocking, scoring 5 points from this element, while the hosts recorded none. This allowed the visitors to equalize the score after winning 25:23.
The third set was again under the control of the Spanish team. Las Palmas' attack operated with high efficiency, and the team quickly regained the initiative, winning 25:17.
The fourth set proved to be the most contested. Montpellier started better and led 8:6, but the hosts gradually leveled the game. In crucial moments, an ace and two point-scoring blocks tilted the scales in favor of Las Palmas, and Juantorena and his teammates closed out the match at 25:22.
Team Statistics
| Category | Las Palmas | Montpellier |
|---|---|---|
| Block | 7 | 6 |
| Attack | 56% | 49% |
| Attack Points | 54 | 52 |
| Attack Errors | 1 | 11 |
| Positive reception | 58% | 63% |
| Aces | 5 | 3 |
| Service errors | 13 | 20 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 32 | 18 |
The numbers clearly show where Las Palmas won the match. The Spanish team is more effective in attack (56% vs 49%) and makes significantly fewer errors on this element. In addition, the hosts win many points from the opponent's errors (32 vs 18), which proves to be a key factor.
Montpellier has a slight advantage in positive reception but fails to convert it into a sufficiently effective attack. The difference in service errors (20 vs 13) also weighs heavily on the French team.
The combination of better attack, stable block, and fewer errors allows Las Palmas to secure a valuable victory and move just one step closer to the Champions League quarterfinals.
The return leg is on March 10th in Montpellier.
photo: cev.eu
