Ukraine and Sweden to play in the final of Golden #EuroLeagueW
Recap
We finally know this year's finalists of the Women's CEV Volleyball European Golden League and those are Ukraine and Sweden!
In today’s matches, Ukraine beat Czechia 3-1 and Sweden beat Belgium 3-0. In the first leg of the semifinals that was played a few days ago, Sweden won over Belgium by 3-2 and Ukraine won over Czechia 3-0. When all combined, Ukraine and Sweden secured a spot in the finals. Let’s dive into it.
Czechia vs Ukraine: 1-3 (25-22, 11-25, 22-25, 16-25)
Ukraine walked into the match with a 3-0 leverage from the first semi-final match and therefore, Czechia had a tough task in front of them. And it started off pretty well for them. In the first set, they were full of confidence which was visible on the court and they knew that they needed a strong win today. In this set alone they’ve had five kill blocks, while Ukraine had zero. Although they were playing point-by-point, Czechia managed to separate just a bit, which was enough for them to take the first set by 25-22.
But it all started falling down when Ukraine turned things around in the second set. With five kill blocks and three aces, they were a better team on the court. At the beginning of the set they were already in the lead by six points (3-9) and they continued on with their dominance. Ukrainians closed the set with a 14-point lead (11-25).
The Ukrainian dominance continued in the third and fourth sets as well. In the third set, Czechia was getting pretty close to their opponents but Ukraine didn’t let that happen and they closed it by 22-25. Czechia lost their tempo in the last set and was behind Ukraine. With 4-10 on the scoreboard, it was quite obvious that Ukraine is going through to the finals and they closed the set by 16-25.
Belgium vs. Sweden: 0-3 (20-25, 26-28, 17-25)
Sweden had a 2-3 advantage over Belgium from the first match and we were all on the edge because this match could have gone in two complete directions. But in the end, it was Sweden who showcased their persistence in this competition and took a 0-3 win over Belgium.
Belgium opened the first set strongly to their advantage and with 7-4 on the scoreboard we were looking at a real volleyball treat for all the fans. But soon enough, Sweden caught the momentum and equalized it by 8-8. Belgium still managed to get ahead, and by a six-point lead (17-11) they were in the right way of taking this set. But Sweden once again turned everything around and went into the lead by 18-19. They ended the set with a five-point lead, 20-25.
In the second set, we were watching a cat-and-mouse type of play where Belgium and Sweden were chasing each other by each point. They closed the set by 26-28, in the Sweden's favor.
Belgium lost their tempo and rhythm in the last set and they knew that there is nothing they can do to take over Sweden's dominance. After all, Sweden was already in the final with this score so the Belgians were playing the last set for their prestige. Swedens took the set by 17-25 and with 2-6 in total of two matches went into well-deserved celebratory mode.
What’s next?
The national teams of Ukraine and Sweden will play in the finals of the Golden #EuroLeagueW. The first match is scheduled for next Thursday, the 6th of July, and the second one on the 9th of June. All matches will be live on EuroVolley.TV so be sure to tune in for the final action!