In the second match of the League of Nations this year, the Polish team met with Iran. Although the last matches were in favor of the Poles, the Persians are a very dangerous and unpredictable opponent.
Polish volleyball players started the season well. In the first week of the competition, Nikola Grbic’s men are fighting in Japan for the first Log of Nations points of the season. On Wednesday, June 7, the White-Reds defeated the French 3-1 at the opening of the VNL.
Now the wards of Nikola Grbic also face a difficult task. In the second game in Japanese Nagoya, the white-reds played with Iran, which lost to the hosts - Japan 0:3 in the first game. The rivalry with this team always causes a lot of emotions and very often there are sparks between the players, especially under the net.
Nations League: Equal Kick Off
The start was very smooth, although at 2:2 Mateusz Benek showed first a great attack and then a tight block shot, thanks to which we were two points clear. Unfortunately, in a moment the left-hander of the attacking Persians - Amin tied 5:5.
Fortunately, he missed the third action in a row, thanks to which the wards of Nikola Grbic were able to make the transition. With the score at 6:6, Jakub Szymanski took over from Benek, who first nodded brilliantly at the Iranian block and then sent the serve. Unfortunately, the second serve was less successful, as it went wide of the field, but thanks to him we still had a two-point advantage over the Persians.
The White-Reds released the advantage and won
A moment later, Urbanovich sent the serve with an ace, thanks to which we took the lead 10:7. The White-Reds already had an advantage of four points (15:11), but a crisis arose in the game of our volleyball players, which the opponents took advantage of and caught up with us by one point (16:15).
The ending turned out to be very exciting and balanced (20:20). Very weak fragments performed by Byalo-Chervoni were used by the rivals, who took the lead 22:24. Although the first set was successfully defended, in the second case Nikola Grbic’s men had nothing to say. Amin set the score of this game at 23:25.
Unsuccessful start of the white-reds and the pursuit of Iran
The beginning of the second set was successful for the Poles, because they led 2:1, and due to a series of errors on the serve and in the attack, with holes in the defense, the Iranians made up for lost time and took a two-point advantage 3:5, which they then increased (5:8) .
The Poles did not have a finishing blow, unlike the Iranians, where Amin played in this match, who is in excellent shape. When it seemed that the Poles were back to square one, catching up with the Persians by one “point” - 10:11, Mateusz Benek fell dangerously, clutching his ankle. The doctors quickly ran to check what was happening with our average, but, fortunately, everything ended in fear.
Another weak Polish final
This situation knocked out the rhythm of the white-reds, who lost two more points in a row and were again three points behind. A moment later, Mateusz Benek proved to everyone that nothing had happened to him, and allowed the Poles to return to the game, gaining the fourteenth point (14:15). In the next action, Nikola Grbich’s men placed two tight blocks, which allowed them to take the lead 16:15.
The end of this game was equal (20:20). Unfortunately, more mistakes were made by the white-reds, who had to defend subsequent sets (22:24). The Iranian made a mistake in the first setball, but in the second act the Persians were merciless and won the game 23:25.
The Poles returned from a long journey in the third set
The third set began with Iran leading 0-2. When it looked like Byalo-Cervoni would have to race again, great defense and effective play by Mateusz Benek made us lead 5:2, which then increased - 10:4.
Unfortunately, the five-point advantage (19:14) of Nikola Grbic’s team quickly melted away (20:19), but they still managed to win. Byalo-Chervoni won this game with a score of 25:21 and still had chances for a tie-break and victory.
Fourth set and tie-break
The fourth set turned out to be very intense, with a lot of action and saves from both sides. None of the teams received a clear advantage, so the score could be anything. Already in the first part of this game, the Iranians fell into the pit, which was used by the wards of Nikola Grbic. Of the seven actions played, Byalo-Chervoni won six, which gave us a five-point advantage 12:7, which was later increased by Dulsky from the attack and Semenyuk from the serve (15:8). This game went to the Poles - 25:15, which led to a tie-break.
In the decisive fifth installment, the Poles kept their composure, who were the first to jump out to the score 5:2. Unfortunately, the Iranians reached the white-reds by one point, so the emotions in this set were accompanied by an ending. The tie-break ended with a score of 15:13, and the whole match - 3:2.
Source: Wprost
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at Daily News Hack for the past 1 year. I mostly cover sports news, but I also have a keen interest in current affairs and politics. In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with my family.
