Ostrava (Czech Republic) (AFP)
Serbia and Poland took the first two tickets for the Euro men's volleyball semi-finals on Tuesday.
The Serbs, reigning European champions (2019) but deprived of an Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, dominated the Netherlands 3 sets to 0 (25-23, 25-20, 27-25), Tuesday at the start of evening in Gdansk (Poland).
For a place in the final, the team-mates of Uros Kovacevic will face the winner of the match between Italy and Germany on Saturday in Katowice (Poland), whose quarter-final is scheduled for Wednesday (4 p.m.) in Ostrava (Czech Republic).
In the second quarter-final on the program at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk on Tuesday, the Poles did not do in detail against Russia, Olympic runner-up but deprived of its two sharp present in Tokyo, Maksim Mikhailov and Viktor Poletaev , absent at Euro-2021.
Supported by the 8,600 spectators in Gdansk, Michal Kubiak's teammates outclassed the Russians in three sets (25-14, 26-24, 25-19), carried by the 14 points of Bartosz Kurek and the naturalized Cuban, Wilfredo Leon, considered one of the best players in the world.
Double reigning world champion (2014 and 2018), Poland has had more trouble in previous European Championships (3rd in 2011 and 2019) and is chasing a title that it has not won since 2009.
The French, Olympic champions in Tokyo a month ago, were eliminated to everyone's surprise by the Czech Republic on Monday night in Ostrava.
Jiri Novak's players will face Slovenia on Wednesday evening (7:00 p.m.), European vice-champion in 2019 and also deprived of the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
The winner of this quarter-final will face Poland in the semi-final on Saturday in Katowice.
© 2021 AFP