Panathinaikos safely through to #CEVChallengeCupM quarterfinals
News
In what was a very successful and productive night for the home sides, the men’s team of Panathinaikos ATHENS took to the court shortly after their women’s colleagues to record their second 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-14, 25-16) in as many matches with Norway’s Viking TIF BERGEN and secure their progression to the quarterfinals of the men’s CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2023.
Fernando Hernandez Ramos, player of Panathinaikos: “We are happy for the victory and for making it to the next phase of the Challenge Cup. We lost last week in the Greek league, so it was a good win for us. Today we played well and made it to the ‘Final 8’. The fans were once again amazing, and they helped us a lot.”
Dimitrios Andreopoulos“We had won 3-0 away, so it was easier for us today. The season is tough for us as we compete for as many as five titles. We are in the next phase of the Challenge Cup, and we are waiting to learn the name of our opponent.”
Head coach of Panathinaikos ATHENS
Scott Olsen, head coach of Viking TIF BERGEN: “We knew from the start that we had a tough job against Panathinaikos. We gave them a fight, but the two teams are too different. We will continue to work hard and become better. We have a young team and a lot of work to improve.”
Kristian Morken Bjelland“We had two strong battles against Panathinaikos. We did well in Norway and in Greece too, but our opponent was strong as we knew from the start. We will continue to work hard, and we hope to be even stronger next year when we return to European competitions.”
Player of Viking TIF BERGEN
On Wednesday, earlier in the day, Panathinaikos took the players and officials of Viking TIF BERGEN for a sightseeing tour to the Acropolis of Athens as well as to the Panathenaic stadium, where the very first Olympic Games of the modern era took place in 1896.