Conqueridor VALENCIA secures historic progression to #CEVChallengeCupM 8th Finals

On Tuesday night, Conqueridor VALENCIA achieved a historic victory at Nou Moles, accompanied by more than 700 fans, defeating Fino KAPOSVAR of Hungary. The Valencians were unbeatable from start to finish and ended up winning 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) to qualify for the 8th Finals of the men’s CEV Challenge Cup. Luis Serrano's injury in the third set was the only downside to a magical Three Kings Day for the Spaniards. 

The match began with the tense calm characteristic of the knockout stage. With everything at stake, nerves were running high on both sides of the net with short points. Javier Monfort put his team on the scoreboard first, and the score remained close until Maximiliano Scarpin's block made it 13-11. The maximum difference in the set was evened out by a quick Hungarian reaction. Rodrigo Melo, aka Pernambuco, began to breathe life into the team with several points that only the opposite player could reach. Conqueridor went three points ahead (17-14) and forced the visitors to call their first timeout. The break was not enough to stop a very confident Conqueridor, who was in full control with a 24-20 lead, and the set ended in favour of the home team after a direct serve and a net shot by Fino’s Maxim Grigoriev (25-21).

The second set took longer to produce a clear favourite. The visitors took the lead with a block on Pernambuco. The Hungarians were not comfortable serving, unlike in the first leg. The Valencians, on the other hand, took advantage of the momentum to open up a two-point lead, which evaporated at 15-15. When the decisive moment arrived, the home captain, Javier Monfort, stepped up once again. Two direct serves brought Nou Moles to its feet to celebrate what was to come. Juan Manuel González made a sensational defence to close out a great point himself, leaving the set all but decided with the same score as the previous one.

The third set brought the worst news of the afternoon. After a formidable start, Nou Moles was frozen by Luis Serrano’s injury. The middle blocker was completely stuck and his teammates helped him off the court. Kayque Calazans came on to replace him. The home team once again overcame another critical situation and, thanks to Scarpin and Monfort, began to pull away again. Fino could not find a solution, continued to struggle on serve, and the scoreboard increasingly favoured the Valencians. 

Emanuele Zanini’s team continued to be unbeatable, cheered on by 700 fans in the stands. The team was flying high, taking a five-point lead on the scoreboard. The home team’s intensity did not let up, closing out another set 25-21 and achieving a historic qualification, the first for Conqueridor in European competition. The Spaniards will now play Poland’s Norwid CZESTOCHOWA for a spot in the quarterfinals.