Allianz MILANO in full control to progress to #CEVCupM Playoff round
News
Italy’s Allianz MILANO has reached the Playoff round of the men’s CEV Cup following their 3-0 and 3-1 wins in their two matches with Greece’s PAOK THESSALONIKI. Their next opponent will be Poland’s Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE.
Joshko Milenkoski“Today we played against one of the best teams in Italy, and consequently, one of the best teams in Europe. MILANO could easily play in the Champions League with the quality they have. Our effort was not enough. It was a good practice for Saturday’s game against Foinikas Syros, as this game is important to us. In Europe, we knew we had a tough task. It is also positive that all our players had the opportunity to play, and most importantly, that Van den Dries has returned to the court.”
Head coach of PAOK THESSALONIKI
PAOK had a mountain to climb to make up for their 0-3 loss from last week. They initially trailed also in their home matchup with MILANO as they went down 1-4 and 4-7 in the first set. However, they found a way to narrow their gap to 13-14. PAOK head coach Joshko Milenkoski decided to resort to his Belgian opposite player Bram Van den Dries, who did return to action after missing four matches. PAOK worked hard in the final stretch, but MILANO closed the set at 25-20 in their favour.
In the second set, PAOK paid the price for their sluggish start, with the visitors quickly storming to a 10-4 lead. Even though Milenkoski kept on rotating players, his side still trailed 10-18. PAOK attempted to reduce the deficit, but MILANO was not to stop and with their 25-18 win, they made sure that they would progress to the next round.
The third set was balanced, with PAOK showing character, fighting spirit, and passion. Although MILANO had a slight advantage early in the set, PAOK responded midway, levelling the score at 15-15. With a strong finish, PAOK took a clear lead, capitalising on their excellent performance, ending the set at 25-20 and making it 1-2.
In the fourth set, despite MILANO taking a small early lead (5-1), PAOK quickly fought back and did draw level at 9-9. The hosts tried hard to establish a lead, but the Italians took control from mid-set (17-14) and did not relinquish it. The set concluded with the score of 25-20, thus closing the match 3-1 in favour of the Italian team.
Matey Kaziyski, player of Allianz MILANO: “We are happy with the result and with our qualification to the next round. Both teams are dealing with injury problems, and that is why today’s game was close. We managed to hold on to the victory and the qualification.”
Dimosthenis Linardos“Playing against such teams and athletes like Matey Kaziyski is the highest honour for us. Congratulations to MILANO on a well-deserved qualification. Unfortunately, our team has been eliminated from European competitions, and our focus is now on Saturday’s game. We want to finish 2023 on a high note, rest our minds, and then continue our efforts to achieve our desired results and goals, which include winning trophies.”
Player of PAOK