Finland’s volleyball team beat Belgium and Serbia at the Euros — YLE News
In Finland, the men’s national volleyball team defeated the favorites of its group, Belgium and Serbia, at the home European Championship. To avoid facing teams such as Italy or Slovenia in the first round of the playoffs, Finland needs to finish first or second in the group.
Medal prospects
As YLE News reports, the Finnish team’s medal ambitions no longer look unrealistic. The national team’s average age is 25, but the squad is not inexperienced. The current roster was formed as a result of a generational change started by former head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo and continued by Joel Banks.
Sammelvuo recalled the 2007 European Championship in Moscow, where Finland achieved a historically high fourth place. At the time, it was also believed that the team would win a medal within the next four years. According to Sammelvuo, it is impossible to know what will happen over such a period, so opportunities must be used now.
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The game and team leaders
In the matches against Belgium and Serbia, Finnish volleyball players demonstrated mature play and did not lose composure when trailing. Belgian outside hitter Sam Deroo praised Finland’s serve after the match and called it the decisive factor in the encounter.
Setter Fedor Ivanov effectively directs the national team’s play, finding teammates who are in the best form and making the team’s attacks less predictable. Luka Marttila confirms his status as one of the key players, while Joonas Jokela showed after three matches that the opposite hitter position is not a weak spot for Finland.
At the previous World Championship, Finland defeated Olympic champion France. The core of the team has remained unchanged for a long time, and the match against Serbia also demonstrated the depth of the roster. Head coach Olli Kunnari said before the tournament that results would come if the team deserved them.
