Polish volleyball players could have gotten nervous. The Bulgarians showed potential

The Polish national team started the competition in the second Nations League tournament. After the first stage, the White and Reds had a record of three victories and one defeat. At the beginning of the competition in Fukuoka, Nikola Grbic's team defeated Bulgaria 3:1 (21:25, 25:21, 25:19, 25:18).

The Bulgarians showed their strength

The match started with a slight advantage of the Poles. Over time, however, their rivals woke up and repeatedly showed how much potential they had. In the middle of the set, they even had a four-point lead, forcing Nikola Grbic to make changes and take a timeout. The White and Reds did not show their frustration. Even if they did not understand the referee's decision to whistle two positioning errors, they quickly focused on the next actions. However, the end of the set belonged to the rivals. They blocked Tomasz Fornal twice and finally won 25:21, causing a small surprise.

In the second set, you could see the irritated Poles. They entered the set strongly, quickly building a big lead. It seemed that the White and Reds would do their job and maintain their advantage, but the Bulgarians once again showed that they can be dangerous. Gianlorenzo Blengini's team equalized in the middle of the game, which added excitement to the game. This time the ending belonged to Grbic's team. From a score of 16:16, they led 22:18 and finally won 25:21.

Poles take their first victory in Japan

The third game started even better for the Poles than the previous one. They built their advantage with momentum, leading to the score 10:4. However, the Bulgarians did not want to give up the set easily. They were making up for the losses little by little, although a difficult challenge awaited them. At one point, the White and Reds' advantage was only two points (20:18). Then Grbic's team kicked into high gear, dominating their opponents (25:19).

The last game was at a leisurely pace. At the beginning of the set, the Polish roller “ran over” the Bulgarian rivals, who were unable to threaten the defense of Grbic's team. The effectiveness from the earlier part of the match was no longer there, although the good play of the White and Reds must be appreciated. In the second part of the set, the Poles could be calm because they were leading by several points. Ultimately, they triumphed 25:18, winning their first victory in Japan.

Poles will play against Turkey in the next VNL 2024 match

The most effective player in the Polish national team was Tomasz Fornal (14 points). In the next Nations League match, the Polish national team will face Turkey. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m. Polish time.