EuroVolley: Greece knocked out in the round of 16, beaten 3-2 by Finland after dramatic tie-break

Greece’s men’s volleyball team has been eliminated from the European Championship (EuroVolley) after a 3-2 loss to Finland in the round-of-16 clash played today in Turin. After a real five-set battle, the Finns won with scores of 22-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13.

Greece started the match well and took the first set 25-22, showing clarity in attack. But Finland responded strongly in the second set, which they completely dominated 25-16. Coach Kostas Christofidelis’s side reacted in the third set and moved ahead again 2-1 with 25-22, coming within one set of the quarter-finals.

The fourth set proved fatal for the Greeks. Too many errors at key moments gave Finland the chance to win it 25-23 and force the tie-break. Even in the decider, errors continued to haunt Greece, while the Finns were cooler in the final points and closed it out 15-13, sealing qualification.

Coach Christofidelis said he was disappointed with the way the match was lost, but at the same time proud of the team and of the run in this tournament, stressing that Greece showed character and played at a high level against a strong opponent.

Despite the painful elimination, Greece ends the tournament with an overall very good performance. In Group A of the group stage in Modena, they won three consecutive matches, including 3-1 over Slovakia, and finished third behind Italy and Slovenia. Finland, meanwhile, had come into this encounter after a surprising 3-2 defeat to Estonia, but managed to seize the moment in Turin.

Source: ΦΩΣ