Bulgaria sends Portugal to 1-3 loss in the final leg match – Volleyball News
Bulgaria went against Portugal in the final leg match of 2012 FIVB World League on Friday and bagged victory at the loss of one set. The final set scores were 21-25, 25-18, 25-20, and 25-21.
Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted the match, while more than 2,000 fans showed up. Bulgarian team enjoyed the support of local fans and moved to 7-3 in the tournament. However, Portugal constantly remained in the cold-waters and stayed winless after 10 matches.
Alexandre Ferreira of Portugal and Bulgaira’s Vladimir Nikolov shared the top-scorer’s spot. They added 14 points, apiece. Viktor and Todor also performed well and played an important role in Bulgaria's victory. Ferreira was the only player on Portuguese team, who could go into double-figure score.
In the first set of the match, Portugal created enough trouble for the home squad. Portuguese players formed good combinations and hit powerful shots. Ferreira led the visitors in the front row and produced exquisite shots. The setter of Portuguese team was quite active on the net. He floated the ball in air with great skill and scored points on tricky bump passes. Bulgaria trailed behind and eventually suffered the loss in first set.
The hosts returned to action in the following set. They grasped the game plan of opponents and formulized an appropriate strategy. Vladimir Nikolov and Todor Aleksiev developed good chemistry between them and devastated the defence line of Portugal. Once Bulgaria earned better status, it never looked back. The hosts captured three sets in row and won the match with 3-1 ratio.
Flavio Gulinelli, Portugal coach: “We played a good match. The start was exactly how we wanted it to be which means that we have done our job well in the locker room. We made a lot of mistakes and we still have problems in the break point phase without attack. But our play is improving and our hope to erase the zero from the result box is alive.”
Bulgarian Coach Nayden Naydenov was satisfied with the brilliant act of his team. In his view, the players made a lot of mistakes, but still managed to get hold of the victory.
Skipper of Portugal team Flavio Cruz seemed quite unhappy about the match outcome, but he also acknowledged that they made too many unforced errors in the match.
In the next run, Bulgaria is scheduled to take on Argentina on Saturday. Likewise, Portugal will be challenged by Germany in the second match of final leg of the 2012 FIVB World League.
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