Hosts France ousted by Poland at 2012 CEV Continental Cup – Volleyball news
Despite having the advantage of familiar conditions and emotional support of local fans, the hosts France displayed a poor performance on day-1 of the 2012 CEV Men’s Continental Cup, which kicked off on Thursday at Sevres, France.
France was challenged by Poland on the opening day of the tournament. A total of four fixtures were featured, while France ended up with only one win. Poles on the other hand, demonstrated a stellar feat and claimed three games. The visitors finished the
day with an overall record of 3-1 and paved their way to the second round of the tournament.
Fifth-seeded pairing of Kadziola and Szalankiewicz contributed the first victory to Poland’s count. The duo took on Dugrip-Salvetti of France and did not allow the hosts to create any trouble for them. The visiting Polish pair showed no sign of intimidation
by the French audience and played a normal game. The hosts try to use the competitive edge in opening set and scored some good points. Nevertheless, the Poles crushed them with two-point advantage at 23-21.
The loss of opening set dragged the French duo under pressure. The home team committed too many unforced errors in the second set and lost after scoring 11 points. Polish team achieved the match points and bagged first win of the day.
The second match brought the top French duo of Ces brothers (Andy Ces – Kevin Ces) in contest with Poland’s Losiak and Kantor. This time the home duo delighted the local fans with a winning performance. The 11th-seeded French team dismantled the power of
a high ranked Polish tandem. Ces brothers posted 2-0 (21-19, 22-20) victory over Losiak-Kantor and received huge applause from the home fans.
The situation would have different for France if Ces Brothers would have carried the momentum into their next match. However, they failed to do so and dropped the decision to Kadziola-Szalankiewicz in two sets. The visiting pair stamped 2-0 (23-21, 21-15)
win over French opponents and silenced the home audience.
The hopes of French fans almost died when the Ces Brothers lost the match. Nonetheless, all eyes were set on Dugrip-Salvetti in the fourth match. The local had already lost its previous match to Poles and did not enjoy a great form. They were challenged
by Losiak and Kantor, who were equipped with all necessary tools and tricks to win the match.
The match started out on a high note. Poles were in try to put an end to the game, while French struggled to force a golden on the victors. Losiak-Kantor hit with power and claimed the opening set 21-18. The second set also came successful for Poland as
Losiak-Kantor posted 21-16 on board. Poland claimed third match of the day and settled for semi-final spot.
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