Champions League: Bulgaria will have representatives in group stage after 5 years! Hebar and Benfica qualified.

2 min read

10 November 2021 Ivan

Bulgarian titleholders Hebar Pazardzhik will play in the groups of the 2022 CEV Volleyball Champions League for the first time in club history, after beating Greece’s Olympiacos Piraeus 3-1 (21:25, 25:23, 25:19, 25:23) in a rematch of the 3rd Qualifying Round.
The first match, a week ago, played in Pazardzhik, ended with a score of 3-1 in favor of the hosts.
So, five years after the participation of Marek Union-Ivkoni Dupnitsa, Bulgaria will again have representatives among the best teams in the club competition on Europe. With 13 points, Todor Aleksiev was Hebar’s top scorer today, while veteran middle-blocker Viktor Yosifov set up four blocks.
Thus Hebar entered Pool A of the tournament, where their rivals will be Jastrzębski Węgiel (Poland), KNACK Roeselare (Belgium), and VfB Friedrichshafen (Germany).

The other team that is through to the group stage via qualifier is Sport Lisboa e Benfica from Portugal, who achieved so for the second time, doing it after a 3-1 victory in Czech Republic against ČEZ Karlovarsko.
The first match ended with the win of Karlovarsko of 3-2.
Veterans stood out today for Benfica: Hugo Gaspar scored 19 points, eight of which in the fourth set (which turned to be decisive), and Brazilian Flávio Soares ‘Zelão’ made four blocks, while his compatriot André Ryuma ‘Japa’, had 82% reception (33 digs, 58% excellent).

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| 2021/22 CEV Champions League – 3rd Preliminary Round – first leg

| November 3, 2021
• Hebar Pazardzhik (Bul) – Olympiacos Piraeus (Gre) 3-1 (26:24, 25:18, 20:25, 25:23)

| November 4
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Por) – CEZ Karlovarsko (Cze) 2-3 (16:25, 22:25, 25:22, 28:26, 12:15)

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| 2021/22 CEV Champions League – 3rd Preliminary Round – second leg

| November 10

• CEZ Karlovarsko (Cze) – Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Por)* 1-3 (25:20, 23:25, 21:25, 23:25)