Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA - Halkbank ANKARA

• The first three sets were enough for Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA to lock up the point needed to get the Champions League semifinals, after the 3-1 win in the first leg match staged last week in ANKARA.
• The semis had been missing from the Italy’s vice champions for four years: CIVITANOVA got there as defending European champions in 2019, but that semifinal was never played, due to Covid. Since that occasion, CIVITANOVA was eliminated for 3 consecutive Champions League editions in the quarter finals, in the past year by ANKARA itself.
• After just two plays of the first set, the home team had to give up the setter Luciano De Cecco, struggling with a severe stomach virus and unable to stay on the court. In his place was young Norwegian Jakob Thelle, who made his Champions League debut this season, coming from the U.S. NCAA championship.
• In the opening set CIVITANOVA gained the decisive break at 20-18, thanks a winning block of the opposite Adis Lagumdzija. The final 25-23 for the Italians arrived with a serve error by guest setter Ma’a.
• ANKARA came back in the second set, in which they took immediately the control of the situation, performing good blocks with Matic (9-5), and then securing the final win 25-20) with the strong serves of Nimir Abdel-Aziz.
• Luciano De Cecco came back on the court at the beginning of second set, and it was with him serving that Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA scored an incredible 10-point winning streak, going from 15-12 to 22-12, with 4 winning blocks by Simone Anzani and as many point errors by Matic, in the Turkish half court. The set ended 25-15, with the 3,291 Eurosuole Forum spectators celebrating the qualification to semis in the stands.

Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA

• ANZANI (Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA): "It was a great battle, we are all proud about this win, about our performance. We faced a very strong opponent, and we did it starting the game without our captain. My congratulations to Jakod Thele, he did a great job. We are very happy for this achievement, of course we don’t want to stop now."

Halkbank ANKARA

• KOVAC (COACH OF Halkbank ANKARA): "CIVITANOVA deserved this qualification especially in the first leg of the round, with their away win. Tonight we had a good chance, as they started the game without Luciano De Cecco, but they were so good to fix it in the first set. CIVITANOVA is a great team, I wish them to get the final act of the competition."