France wins WEVZA U19 men’s tournament
News
France have emerged as the winners of the WEVZA Men’s Under-19 International Tournament organised at the Pavilhão de Santa Maria Maior in Viana do Castelo, European City of Sport in 2023, after edging Italy by 3-2 in the final. In the bronze medal match, Germany beat the Netherlands in four sets. Spain finished the competition in fifth place, ahead of Belgium and Portugal. All matches were broadcast live on Volei TV.
France vs Italy 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-10)
It was a real final. Although the Italians perhaps had more stars individually, their French opponents showed the real strength of the collective. After a very close match, the victory could have gone either way, but France edged ahead in the tiebreak courtesy of two consecutive blocks (8-4). Shortly after, they were leading by as many as six points (10-4, 12-6) before wrapping it up at 15-10. Lorenzo Magliano, with 21 points, was the game’s top scorer for Italy, while Adrien Roure, with 17, stood on top of the charts for the winners.
Slimane Belmadi“Today we played better than we did on the other days. It’s still not what we want, but against a team like Italy we get the idea that our work is being rewarded. The level in the tournament was a bit fluctuating, as there are some players who are absent because of the U21 World Championship, which is unfortunate, but we played a good game against the Italians and that was very important for this group of players.”
Head coach of France
The Netherlands vs Germany 1-3 (20-25, 25-21, 22-25, 20-25)
In the battle for the last place on the podium, Germany managed to overcome the Netherlands, despite the fatigue being visible for some of their players, especially their leading scorer Felix Baumann, who was still instrumental in securing the bronze medal. The match was decided by details such as the effectiveness of the offensive actions. Felix Baumann, with 20 points, was the best scorer of the game, while Thom van der Ent, with 14 points (including six blocks) was the Dutchman with the most points.
Spain vs Belgium 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-17)
Spain beat Belgium to claim fifth place, after edging hosts Portugal (2-3) the day before. Portugal had previously lost (1-3) to Belgium as well. It was a well-deserved triumph for a team that did not give up fighting for victory against a somewhat discouraged and tired opponent. The strategy used by Spain was simple and effective. They created a small advantage from the beginning, doing so through offensive pressure and their block, to keep it until the end of each set. The Spaniard Elio Mondesdeoca Santana, with 12 points, was the best scorer of the game, followed by Belgium’s Tijmen Bus with 11.
Individual awards
Best Scorer: Felix Baumann (Germany)
Best Spiker: Tommaso Barotto (Italy)
Best Blocker: Felix Baumann (Germany)
Best Server: Saimen Hage (Netherlands)
Best Receiver: Mathis Henno (France)
Most Valuable Player: Amir Tizi-Oualou (France)