2nd stage of Champions League qualification 2024 (men)
Group 6. 3rd round. November 12
Galati, Romania
"Neftechimic" — VC "Prometey" 1-3 (20:25, 17:25, 25:20, 15:25)
Starting line-up of VC "Prometey": Shapoval (22), Stankovic (7), Yereshchenko (11), Hladenko (6), Teromenko (10), Shchytkov (c) (6), Boiko (l), Brova (l). Substitutes: Kryvobok (3), Veletskyi (1).
On the third game day of the II stage of the qualification of the Champions League 2024, VC "Prometey" met with the Bulgarian "Neftochimic". It was a match for the third place in group 6, in which the "red and whites" eventually triumphed. This is not the end of the performances for our guys at the European Arena. After all, they will continue the fight in the second most important club tournament - the CEV Cup. At the stage of the 1/16 finals, the opponents of the Ukrainians will be the players of the Dutch team "Lycurgus" (Groningen).
The beginning of today's match was marked by an equal and uncompromising struggle (7:7). Teams were prevented from breaking away from the score due to their own mistakes, and traditionally for men's volleyball, most of them occurred when the ball was put into play. However, at the equator of the party, the captain of "Prometey" Vitalii Shchytkov issued a stable series of serves, which helped the "red and whites" to provide a comfortable handicap (8:12). By the end of this set, the Bulgarians were forced to play the role of the catch-ups - 20:25.
In the next set, the initiative was completely owned by the Ukrainians. Dmytro Teromenko and company were unsurpassed both in attack and on the block. In addition, the setter of our club once again distinguished himself with a tight and accurate pass. This explains his incredible starting rush (1:12). On the other side of the net, the volleyball players of "Neftechimic" did not manage the reception at all, and without a high-quality reception, you will not achieve special success in the attack. In the end, the players of both teams were already thinking about the third set — 17:25.
Atanas Petrov's wards made their conclusions in the break between sets. Intrigue returned, in particular, due to some controversial episodes, after which points were given to our rivals (11:10). Of course, this had a significant impact on the psychological state of Prometey players. Because of this, they lost self-confidence - 25:20.
Fortunately, not for long! The "red and whites" managed to get together and felt their winning rhythm of the meeting (2:6). Two consecutive time-outs from the coaching staff of the Bulgarian club did not help. Very soon, Dmytro Shapoval's effective shot put an end to the match - 15:25.
