Champions League: Halkbank and Guaguas to Quarterfinals. Titleholders ZAKSA eliminated!
3 min read
Another chapter of Volleyball Champions League was written today
in Turkey: for the first time in three years, Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Kozle, currently only at 10th place in Plusliga, can’t confirm themselves as European Champions!
Polish powerhouse is officially eliminated after playoffs thanks to Halkbank Ankara, despite being defeated at tie break in first leg, and after celebrating a clean 3-0 (32:30, 25:21, 25:22)!
The winners will face Italy’s Cucine Lube Civitanova in quarterfinals.
Despite the last-minute recovery of Lukasz Kaczmarek and Bartosz Bednorz (who left the court after second set), ZAKSA fought only
in first set, taking at first an 1-9 lead and then even 11-17 but then, after wasting all the advantage, failed three set points at 21-24 and other two, until their collapse 32-30.
Since then, Halkbank managed to control the game mostly thanks to a very good Nimir Abdel-Aziz (28 points through 58% in attack), but also to Gordon Perrin, on the field instead of Mirza Lagumdzija.
The second team who claims the ticket for Quarterfinals is Spain’s Guaguas Las Palmas, who needed a Golden Set to beat a generous VK Lvi Praha. The team from Czech Republic was able to overturn the rivals’ straight sets win in first leg by winning the game by 3-1 (25:21, 25:21, 22:25, 22:25) with 14 winning blocks and 23 points from Cuban Luis Estrada Mazorra (67% in attack and 3 winning blocks), but the Spanish, in decisive Golden Set, literally trampled over the hosts, closing the contest with a clear 8-15.
For the winners, 21 points for Nicolas Bruno (with 1 ace, 1 block and through 61% in attack), while Paolo Zonca also contributed with 17, 53% in attack and 6 aces.
But the big news is for Spain, as this country had been missing for a quarterfinal since 2006/07 season, when Portol Maiorca has hit the target, more precisely 17 years ago!
Tomorrow Quarterfinals picture will be completed with the game between French’s titleholders Tours VB and Germany’s Berlin Recycling Volleys, and the winners will face Italy’s Trentino Itas.
In first leg, Berlin won in four sets.
These are Quarterfinals match-ups:
• winners Tours/Berlin – Trentino Itas (Ita)
• Halkbank Ankara (Tur) – Cucine Lube Civitanova (Ita)
• Guaguas Las Palmas (Esp) – Ziraat Bank Ankara (Tur)
• Gas Sales Daiko Piacenza (Ita) -Jastrzebski Wegiel (Pol)
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🏆| 2023/24 CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | PLAYOFFS
Tuesday January 30, 2024
• 18.30 (Local Time) | Guaguas Las Palmas (ESP) – VK Lvi Praha (CZE) 3-0 (25:23, 25:23, 26:24)
📍Centro Insular de Deportes Las Palmas
Wednesday January 31, 2024
• 19.30 (Local Time) | Berlin Recycling Volleys (GER) – Tours VB (FRA) 3-1 (25:17, 20:25, 25:13, 25:22)
📍Max-Schmeling-Halle Berlin
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Kozle (POL) – Halkbank Ankara (TUR) 3-2 (21:25, 25:22, 25:21, 16:25, 15:12)
📍Azoty Kędzierzyn-Kozle
👉🏼Wednesday February 7, 2024
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Halkbank Ankara (TUR) – Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Kozle (POL) 3-0 (32:30, 25:21, 25:22)
📍TVF Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Hall Ankara / A
• 19.30 (Local Time) | VK Lvi Praha (CZE) – Guaguas Las Palmas (ESP) 3-1 (25:21, 25:21, 22:25, 22:25) GOLDEN SET: 8:15
📍Arena Sparta Podvinny Mlyn Praha
Thursday February 8, 2024
• 19.30 (Local Time) | Tours VB (FRA) – Berlin Recycling Volleys (GER) 0-3 (22:25, 18:25, 22:25)
📍Salle Robert Grenon Tours
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