Bulgaria and Italy to lock horns for #EuroVolleyU17M crown

Bulgaria and Italy will be locking horns on Sunday in the final match of #EuroVolleyU17M in Podgorica following their comprehensive 3-0 wins in their respective semi-finals with Spain and Belgium. 

Bulgaria beat Spain (25-20, 25-22, 25-21) to play for the continental title in this age group for the second time in history. The young Lions extended their streak of spectacular performances in Podgorica. They hinted at becoming the first finalist during the first set of the semifinal, entering the game very confidently, and gaining a significant advantage, which Spain managed to reduce to 12-11. However, with good serves and thanks to the mistakes of their opponents, Dessislava Velichkova’s team once again pulled ahead to 17-11. Nevertheless, Spain did not give up. In their own style, the Spaniards closed the gap to 19-17, prompting a timeout by Velichkova, which resulted in an excellent finish to the set for Bulgaria (25-20). 

In the following set, Spain had a great start. They constantly maintained a lead of four or five points and had an impressive 19-11 advantage. However, the lead could not be preserved. Bulgaria played majestically, responding to every attempt by their rival and showing fantastic attack and block skills to emerge from what seemed like an impossible situation. Petyo Ivanov shone and led the Bulgarian team to a great comeback. For the first time in the second set, Bulgaria took the lead at 23-22 after Ivanov’s spike, before they wrapped it up at 25-22. 
 
The third set saw a balanced fight for quite some time. Only at 17-14 did Bulgaria manage to secure a slightly bigger lead. The Spanish coach tried to use a timeout to motivate his players, but it was impossible to catch up with the inspired Bulgarians, who triumphed with a score of 25-21. This is the second time they have reached the final of the U17 European Championship after the 2019 tournament held in Sofia when Bulgaria lost the gold medal match to France. 
 
The best player on the court of the Verde Sports Complex was Petyo Ivanov with 19 points. Zhasmin Velichkov also scored in double digits with 10 points for Bulgaria. On the Spanish side, Cesar Irache Camacho collected 16 points.

Later in the afternoon, Italy justified their role as favourites against Belgium, which put up a good fight for two sets. In the end, it was 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-19) in favour of Italy, securing them a spot in the U17 European final.
 
The Italians showed absolute dominance at the beginning of the match. They played in excellent rhythm, and they quickly took a +5 lead. After a series of four consecutive points, they were up 8-3. The Azzurrini continued to extend their advantage. They reached their largest lead at 24-11 and closed the opening section of the game with a comprehensive score of 25-12.
 
Riding the momentum from their excellent finish in the first set, the players of Monica Cresta continued strong in the second set too. They led 6-1, but Belgium caught up, making it 7-6, prompting Italy’s coach to call a timeout. The game remained even until the middle of the set when Italy managed to break away with a 6-0 run (18-12), heading towards winning the second set. Belgium put up a good fight to extend the second set, but they could not go beyond 20 points. In the end, it was 25-20, and Italy led 2-0.
 
As in the second set, Belgium remained in the game until the middle of the third set when Italy stepped up and gained a +7 advantage (20-13). This proved enough for Monica Cresta’s team to comfortably close out the match, winning the third set 25-19, securing their place in the U17 European Championship final for the second time in history.
 
Once again, Italy’s unstoppable opposite spiker, Gianluca Cremoni, led the team with 23 points. For Belgium, Warre Mertens was the top scorer with 12 points. 
 
The final day of the U17 European Championship in Podgorica, Sunday, July 30, will bring the medal matches. The grand finale will feature Bulgaria against Italy and is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Prior to that, at 4:30 PM, Spain and Belgium will compete for the bronze medal.