The Golden Euroleague Presents an Opportunity for Wards of Ugis Krastins to Avenge Their Past Loss. Their Opponents for the Defeat Two Years Ago.
On Sunday, June 25, the Croatian city of Zadar will host the main match of the men’s volleyball Golden Euroleague 2023. Teams of Turkey and Ukraine will meet in the fight for gold medals. Two years ago, these teams also met in the final of the tournament, and then Turkish volleyball players won with a score of 3:1 in the Belgian city of Kortrijk.
Turkiye
In general, the Turkish team performs quite well in the Euroleague. In the last five draws, she has consistently become a winner. Twice (in 2019 and 2021) the Turkish team climbed to the top step of the podium, winning silver and bronze medals once. It is clear that they will not remain without awards this year.
In the current season of the Golden Euroleague, Turkey in the first stage played in Group A, where its rivals were the teams of Portugal, Romania, and Denmark. Of the 6 matches, Turkish volleyball players won 5 and only lost in one (from Romania 2:3). With 14 points, they confidently became the winners of the group and were five points ahead of Portugal, which finished second.
In the semi-finals, the Turkish team faced the Czech team. By the way, it was a repeat of last year’s Euroleague Golden Finals. But if at that time success was on the side of the Czech players 3:1, now Turkey has won in five games and will be represented in the final Suit of the tournament for the fourth time in a row.
Ukraine
Our volleyball players won the Golden Euroleague in 2017, beating Macedonia in the decisive match with a score of 3:1. The Ukrainians reached the final one more time in 2021 when they lost to Turkey in four games.
It is interesting that we have 8 players left from that squad from two years ago. Over the past time, the Ukrainian national team has become much stronger, taking part in the final stages of the European Championship and the World Championship. And in the ranking of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), she rose to a high 15th place. Now such players as Oleg Plotnitsky, Dmitry Teremenko, Yuri Semenyuk, Vasily Tupchiy, Ilya Kovalev, and others are already well-known in European and world volleyball.
At the group stage of the Golden Euroleague 2023, Ukrainian volleyball players set a new record for themselves, having won all the matches against their opponents, and at the same time did not lose a single (!) game. Such an achievement can only be repeated, not surpassed.
The Ukrainians showcased their dominance in the Golden Euroleague, extending their winning streak in the semifinals with an impressive 3:1 victory over Croatia. With this remarkable performance, the Ukrainian team is not only poised to secure their second championship in the history of the tournament but also determined to persistently strive for a coveted spot in the League of Nations next season. As they prepare for their upcoming matches, we wholeheartedly wish our Golden Euroleague contenders good luck in their pursuit of success.
Match statistics
As we have already noted, two years ago Ukraine and Turkey met in the Euroleague Golden Final, in which our opponents won with a score of 3:1. But last season, although both teams were in the Final Four, their paths did not cross. In the semi-finals, Ukraine lost to the Czech Republic 2:3, while Turkish volleyball players defeated Croatia 3:1.
Forecast for the confrontation:
Of course, the rival of Ugis Krastins’s team in the final will be strong and dangerous. But our guys have repeatedly proved that they can cope with difficulties and achieve success. Therefore, we will bet on the victory of the Ukrainian team with a score of 3:1.