the France team continues a second victory, against Croatia

Two games, two wins, six sets scored, none conceded. After his victory in the opening of Euro 2021 (from 1er on September 19) against Slovakia (3-0), the French men’s volleyball team went perfectly on Sunday, September 5, dominating Croatia. In Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, Estonia, the recent Olympic champions only needed three sets to dispose of their opponents (25-15, 25-16, 26-24).

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From the start of the match, the Croats understood that the game was going to be short. The Blues started on the right track by quickly taking to the open sea in the first set. Whether in reception, in the block or in the attack thanks to his fireworks, Jean Patry in the lead (8 points on the first round, 13 in total), nothing was lacking. Croatia were too tender to resist the tricolor strike force which made no mistakes. The score of the first round dispatched in twenty-two minutes (25-15) is proof of this.

A dominating block once again

In the following set, the men of the new Brazilian coach Bernardinho showed no complacency (25-16). Rather, they pressed where it hurts. Like their inaugural victory, they were particularly brilliant on the block in the footsteps of Nicolas Le Goff (7 points). “The staff puts even more emphasis on the bloc, confirmed Barthélémy Chinenyeze (6 points) after the meeting at the microphone of the Chaîne L’Equipe. As we are already a team that defends a lot, it will be a new weapon. “

“The first two sets are very successful”, analyzed Jean Patry after the match. The Brazilian coach could indeed afford to rotate his workforce a bit to spare his major players before the first big test against Germany, Monday at 7 p.m., which will certainly decide the first place in group D. Yacine Louati, Antoine Brizard and Théo Faure took over from Ervin Ngapeth (8 points), Benjamin Toniutti and Jean Patry in a third round much more hooked. “It’s always hard to come in when you’re leading, when you’re playing well, especially after two sets because we don’t have a lot of rhythm, observed Antoine Brizard. It wasn’t easy for Theo [Faure], Yacine [Louati] and me, but we’re done. “

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A decisive ace to avoid an extra round

When France thought they had finally broken away (13-9), Croatia came back up to speed. But the 2015 European champions were serious until the end to win the match in three sets on a fantastic ace from Antoine Brizard (26-24), avoiding a fourth round which could have drawn a little from the reservations.

“It wasn’t easy because it’s a team that is a cut below, admitted Jean Patry. We put our game down, we were very serious, very combative. We also had fun and it showed. “It was important to win 3-0 because tomorrow we have a big game against, I think, the strongest team in the pool with us”, continued Chinenyeze.

Monday, it is indeed another piece that awaits the France team since Germany, finalist of the Euro in 2017, won its first two games three sets to zero against Estonia and Croatia. For the Blues, it will be the opportunity to take a first step in this competition with the objective of finishing first in group D in order to face in the round of 16 the 4e of group B.