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Fenerbahce falls to Rabita Baku in second match – 2012 CEV Champions League

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Fenerbahce falls to Rabita Baku in second match – 2012 CEV Champions League
Azerbaijan’s Rabita Baku posted 3-1 (25-27, 27-25, 25-20, 25-17) victory over Turkey’s Fenerbahce Universal Istanbul on Tuesday, December 20.
The four-set action-packed thriller was staged at a totally sold out Sarhadchi Olympic Centre in the Baku. Rowdy fans of Azerbaijan showed up in masses to support their team. The local ladies made an incredible effort and bounced back in the game after dropping
opening frame. They got their real form back in the next three sets and sent Fenerbahce to first loss in the tournament.
Local hosts took revenge from the visiting Turkish squad as Rabita Baku was defeated by Fenerbahce in straight sets, last week. Baku ‘force’ finished the fourth leg of the prelims with 3-1 and came at a level with archrival Fenerbahce.
The opening set of the match portrayed a different picture. The set was full of surprising moments. Azerbaijan opened the match with powerful serves and picked up an early lead of 6 points. Fenerbahce players struggled to catch up with the opponents and
incorporated some counter attacks. They used different tactics and tried to hinder the performance of hosts.
However, Baku continued with success and kept the lead in hand for better time in the first set. Fenerbahce trailed behind until final phase of the first set. They suddenly came of blues and surpassed Baku at 24-23. From that point onward, they did not look
back and made Baku suffer the loss of first set, 25-27.
Following their success in the opening set, the guest team enjoyed a great rhythm and tone, which seemed pretty obvious from their body language. They made a strong opening in second with the help of confident shots and tried to put pressure on Baku. As
a result, the hosts had to work extra hard to down the charged-up Fenerbahce. Nonetheless, players of the local team remained focused on target and kept a keen eye on the ball.  The situation remained undecided until the ending moments until Baku hit the spot
with 27-25 win.
Third set was closely contested as both teams played aggressively and tried to secure every single point. Fenerbahce suffered the damage on account of hitting some off the court shorts, whereas Baku took the control of operation with back to back attacks.
Eventually, Baku extended its lead to 2-1 with 25-20 and dragged the opponent in the cold waters.  
Fenerbahce threw everything in attack in the fourth sets. They took a better start and led all the way till 12-11. Meanwhile, Baku returned in the game and regained the control of operations. Turkish ladies failed to stop Baku and ended up after scoring
17 points. Baku won third consecutive set and declared 3-1 victory.
Belgian captain Natalya Mammadova explained the reason for first-set loss. She said, “I think that we lost the opening set because I made some terrible mistakes in key moments but I am happy that we did not surrender and eventually won.”
Fenerbahce’s Head Coach Zé Roberto gave his analysis of the match. He stated, “All teams generally play much better at home but I think we have to analyze this game. Rabita played better than we did, especially in serving and attacking, so they deserved
this victory. They have very good players and an excellent coach, so I think they deserve to make it to the final four.”

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