Kazan, Russia, December 16, 2009. Russian Zenit KAZAN won the third consecutive match of the main phase Men’s CEV Indesit European Champions’ League and became the leader of group B. On Wednesday the champion of Russia won match on its site against TOURS VB (3:1: 21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-17). Win series Kazan together championship matches Russia consists of twelve games.
TOURS VB has begun this Champions League with two hard and exhausting five-sets games. The team had outplayed Unicaja ALMERIA on their own stage and had lost points in the away game with CSKA SOFIA. The first meeting in Kazan is showing that French team has a great potential. The guests are making kazaners to make mistakes in picking up by their short serving and TOURS VB’s block is hooking opponent’s atacks with the Chech legioner Holubeck in a head– 11:7. Kazaners are beginning to play more emotionally getting each other going. Bogomolov is blocking David Konechny and Apalikov controls his brother Peter’s attack – 19:21. But still Zenit KAZAN can’t get the set.
Aleksandr Abrosimov had written a message for attacking opponents on a bounding that covers his enjury: «Strike here!».
The guests are striking. But Abrosimov’s effective blocks rotating sucessful answers of the guests. Apalikov is punctual in first line and then he’s blocking Peter Konechny’s shot – 12:12. TOURS VB capitan Mark Schalk is trying to cheat the opponents hitting the ball by the head (!) but Kazaners easily take this ball. Panteleymonenko twice beautifully kicks attacking from the back line – 18:15.
In every element of the game kazaners are little bit better than French team but it is just enough for winning the set.
In the third set French team could not find an arsenal against central forwards of Zenit KAZAN. Apalikov was twice punctual in line attacks and Abrosimov makes three (!) effective blocks at a run – 20:13.
In a forth set after Clayton’s sucessful attack on a board are same numbers as in a third set (10:5). And kazaners could have some problems but their great game in defence plus Stanly’s effective game in attack helped them – 17:14. Abrosimov scored three more effective blocks at a run and brings the victory to the Russian team.
Nikolay Apalikov – the central of Zenit KAZAN – have became the most sucessful player of the game. He scored 19 points (7 of them on a block). Stanly has got 18 points. David Conechny was the best player in TOURS VB (15 points).
- TOURS VB is my ex-team but I made my team play regular game – says Vladimir Alekno - the head coach of Zenit KAZAN after game. – Aleksandr Abrosimov who increased our game in a block had entered the game very good.
- We’ve started the game very good – says the coach of TOURS VB Eric Ngapet. - But in the second set Zenit KAZAN’s players began to fasten up. More over the opponent was much better in a block.