#GoldenEuropeanLeague: Turkey and Netherlands claim Final Four tickets

The three out for places in the 2019 CEV Volleyball Golden European League Finals are secured one round before the end of the pool stage: Turkey and the Netherlands have taken their spots in the Final Four as pool leaders, joining the hosts Estonia.

POOL A

Slovakia – Latvia 1-3 (22:25, 15:25, 25:16, 21:25)

Slovakia lost their third consecutive match in the Golden European League, including a second home game. Latvia claimed a third 3-1 victory in a row.
Latvia is currently second in Pool A with three victories and 10 points, Slovakia is third with one victory and three points.

Andrej Kravárik, coach of Slovakia: “We started very badly and Latvia were better in every element of the game. We were unable to push our opponent from the service line, our block was very weak. We did not play our game.”

Toms Švans, captain of Latvia: “Our team fought well and it paid off. We made a lot of mistakes in the first game in Riga, but today we played much better. We have a young team and finishing in second place in this group is a good result for us.”

Turkey – Belgium 3-1 (25:20, 23:25, 25:14, 25:16)

Turkey maintained their invincibility in Pool A by beating Belgium 3-1 (25:20, 23:25, 25:14, 25:16) on Day 5 at home in Trabzon, confirming the qualification for the final tournament. Burutay Subaşı finished the match as the best scorer with 16 points for Turkey.

Nedim Özbey, head coach of Turkey: “First of all, congratulations to my team. I am very happy that we made it to the Final Four of the European Golden League once again. Our goal is to win the European League! I would also like to thank everyone who supported us today.”

Arslan Eksi, captain of Turkey: “I am really proud of what we have achieved so far with this team. We have made a lot of progress and the energy in the squad is amazing. We gave it all we got and we did it. I am sure this result will make us come back stronger.”

POOL B

Spain – Croatia 1-3 (19:25, 25:23, 28:30, 20:25)

Defeat of Spain in Alicante in front of 1,510 fans. Marko Sedlacek and Filip Sestan led Croatia with 16 points each, while Andres Jesus Villena, Fornés and Juan Manuel González were the top scorers for Spain with 13 points each.

Miguel Ángel Fornés, player of Spain: “The key was in the reception. They had a good reception, their setter did a good job, and they played better in digs. We did not have enough patience to end the rallies, and this was the key of the match.”

Tsimafei Zhukouski, player of Croatia: “First of all, I want to congratulate Spain on a great match in front of a great audience. It was a very hard match, and I am very happy with the performance of my team. We wanted to prove that we could play better than we did before, and we did it.”

Netherlands – Estonia 3-0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:17)

The Netherlands took the spot in the Final Four as they downed Estonia in straight sets, partially 25:19, 25:19, and 25:17 on home soil in Hoogeveen. So, the Dutch side secured the top spot in Pool B before the last round with only 2 points more than Spain and Croatia but with two victories more. Thijs ter Horst scored 18 points for the Netherlands in the match against Estonia.

Thijs ter Horst, top scorer for The Netherlands: “We pushed the Estonian team from start to finish. It was a great win for us to keep them under 20 points in every set. It’s a great thing that we have qualified for the Final Four with our new coach and a few new guys in the starting seven. It was our goal, but it’s never easy. To do this one match before the end of the group stage is a great result for the team.”

Roberto Piazza, coach of The Netherlands: “Reaching the Final Four is the first step and it was our first goal this season. We earned this position on the court today. We played four matches with a tie-break and this was the first 3-0. We pushed the opponent from the beginning until the end. We never gave up on balls and we never made a stupid mistake. I think this is the way for us to go.”

POOL C

As for the remaining pool, Pool C, Belarus and Ukraine will fight for the top spot and a place in the Final Four in a direct clash on Day 6 as they both recorded wins today, against Finland and the Czech Republic, respectively. Actually, a defeat to Ukraine (3-0) eliminated the Czechs team from participating in the Final Four.

Finland – Belarus 0-3 (22:25, 23:25, 20:25)

Joel Banks, head coach of Finland: “We had some good opportunities in the match, but we didn’t score well enough. We still have a lot of hard work to do. Our opposite players Joonas Jokela and Samuli Kaislasalo are very talented young players. Now Joonas made a really good job.”

Viktar Beksha, head coach of Belarus: “I am glad that we won this match. We knew that Finland had no victories so far and that they would want to win at home. We did not start well. Our attacks were not good enough at the beginning. We did not expect such a hard serve and very, very good defence from Finland.”

Ukraine – Czech Republic 3-0 (25:20, 25:20, 25:13)

Ugis Krastins, head coach of the Ukrainian national team: “Today, the players pleased me with their excellent concentration throughout the entire match and the precise execution of my instructions, especially in attack. We continue to fight for a spot in the Final Four.”

Michal Nekola, head coach of the Czech Republic: “Unfortunately, we could not cope with the main scorers of Ukraine. They scored many easy points. As a result, I am not satisfied with the defence of my team. Congratulations to our rivals on a well-deserved victory!”

CEV Golden European League 2019′ – Day 5
RECAP OF THE RESULTS:

POOL A
Slovakia – Latvia 1-3 (22:25, 15:25, 25:16, 21:25)
Turkey – Belgium 3-1 (25:20, 23:25, 25:14, 25:16)

POOL B
Spain – Croatia 1-3 (19:25, 25:23, 28:30, 20:25)
Netherlands – Estonia 3-0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:17)

POOL C
Finland – Belarus 0-3 (22:25, 23:25, 20:25)
Ukraine – Czech Republic 3-0 (25:20, 25:20, 25:13)

CEV Golden European League 2019′ ALL RESULTS AND OUR GALLERIES.

Source and Photos: CEV.