Croatia equalise in second match of 2011 CEV European League – Volleyball update
The non-stop action of from European volleyball teams is underway this week at the 2011 CEV Men’s European Volleyball League which was kicked last Friday, May 27. The grid of 12 top European teams opened the campaign in three pools. Croatia and Great Britain
cross their ways on Saturday in the league round opener. The first meeting of these two teams on Saturday benefitted the host team, while Croatia had to regret the loss of the opening match. Britain’s boys performed exquisitely well at the home court in Sheffield
City and posted a 3-2 (21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-18, and 15-4) victory over Croatia. Nevertheless, the Croatian side outshone the hosts in the second match and levelled the game score.
Croatia vs. Great Britain 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, and 25-15)
The match started out with balanced action. Both teams had good energy and staged thrilling rallies. The Brits had the competitive edge of having one-victory in hand. They played fast and tried to pressure the Croatian side. Yassir Sliti was the main weapon
on the Great Britain squad. He hit long cross-court shots and created a lot of problems for the opponents. Britain led the game with a one-point lead at the first technical timeout. The Croatian players did not take pressure and kept on hitting the ball in
GB’s half. Meanwhile, the score soared with a close difference of points. Croatia brought more ferocity into their attack after the second mandatory stop and managed to push the British squad behind the attack line. They picked up the lead and added quick
points to finish the first set at 25-18.
After dropping the opening set, Great Britain hit back fiercely and built an early lead of 6-3. Croatia suffered a little set back but soon found the right rhythm to deal with the British fire power. Good passing and defensive strategy allowed Croatia to
save crucial points. Moreover, Ivan Raic of Croatia put up a valiant effort and clipped consecutive points. The visitors made a difference in the second set by sending 25-21 on the board.
Croatia was in total command of the game in the third set. Success in the previous two sets had encouraged them to rock the courts in the third set. They did not show any weak sides to their rivals in the third set and staged a flawless performance. England
failed to deal with the killing serves and deadly spikes of th evisitors. Ultimately, the third set ended in Croatia’s favour and they announced victory over Britain.
The head coach of GB Team, Brokking acknowledged the better status of Croatian team. He said, “They put us under pressure with their serve and we didn’t deal with it too good. But still we had the momentum in the second set and we didn’t take advantage of
it. If we had won the second set we could have changed the course of the game”.
Likewise, the skipper of the British side, Pipes Benjamin Allan, commented, “The second set was our opportunity but the fuse never lit and we just never took off. It's a massive disappointment. It wasn't a lack of physicality on our part and we’re past the
days of blowing hot and cold. We just had an off day”.
The captain of Croatian team was simply overjoyed with a great victory against tough rivals. He thanked everyone in the team for putting up such good combined effort to win the second match.
There was an interesting feature associated with GB vs. Croatia match. The mentor of Croatian team, Radovan Malevic, also celebrated his 54th birthday on Sunday, May 29. His team gave him the best present in the form of a return-victory over Great
Britain in the second match. Malevic appreciated the good effort of his team and congratulated the players.
Tags: