The Czechs lost to the Serbs in the eighth round of the European Volleyball Championship. How do the quarterfinal pairs look like?

The Czech men’s national volleyball team did not reach the quarterfinals of the last partly domestic European championship. They lost to the two-time world champions from Serbia in this year’s European Championships in Bari, Italy, on Sunday evening. Which teams will face each other for a place in the top four?

Jiri Novak’s charges defeated the Danes, Montenegrins and the home team North Macedonians in Group C, played in Skopje. They lost to the Poles and the Dutch. They finished third in the table and the Serbs were waiting for them in the opening round of the knockout phase.

The Balkan nation’s representatives have dominated the last two World Cups, in addition to triumphing at the continental championships in 2011 and 2019. This year, in Group A, they defeated the Belgians, Estonians, Italians, Swiss and Germans and were favourites in the eight-final competition.

The match in Bari started at 6pm and it was the Serbs who led from the start. They maintained their lead throughout the first set and gradually increased it to a four-point gap. The set was therefore won after a score of 25:21.

The Czechs kept up with their strong opponent for quite a long time in the second act, but their lead was never more than two points. However, it was balanced until the very end, which coach Igor Kolaković’s team kept and won 26:24.

Captain Adam Zajicek’s team entered the third set well. However, the Serbian volleyball team, of which the top scorer was the 14-point Aleksandar Atanasijevic, also managed it. Just like in the opening set, they outplayed their Czech rivals 25:21.

“A 3:0 defeat is a 3:0 defeat. We lacked a bit of precision, a calmer head on the serve. We didn’t give ourselves many chances to do anything about it, although we were one set away,” coach Novák assessed the defeat for CT Sport.

The next opponent of the winner of this eight-final match came from the next and last ever match of the first round of the playoffs. The Serbian team will spend Monday evening clashing with Poland. Our northern neighbours knocked out Belgium with a final score of 3-1.

The defending champion is home team Italy, who got past North Macedonia. The players from the Apennine Peninsula will challenge the Dutch, who managed to beat the Germans in a five-set battle, on Monday at 9pm.

The entire quarter-final programme opens a day earlier in Varna, Bulgaria, with the reigning European vice-champions. The Slovenians turned around a 0:2 to 3:2 set win against Turkey and will face the Ukrainians, who won against the Portuguese.

The quarter-finals will be followed by the French, the Olympic champions from Tokyo. After their victory over the Bulgarians, the representatives of the Gallic Cock country will face the Romanians. They defeated the Croatians in five sets.

The 2023 European Volleyball Championship runs until Saturday 16 September, with the medal battles taking place in Rome. Live coverage of the high-network sports festival will be broadcast by CT Sport.

Source: CEV, CT Sport