The French men’s volleyball team got off to a good start in their last week in the League of Nations, beating Iran 3-0. The Blues can therefore always dream of the Final Four this weekend in Rimini.
The Blues are still in the race! The French men’s volleyball team can still mathematically qualify for the Nations League Final Four which will take place this weekend. Laurent Tillie’s men have indeed started their “week 5” of competition with a 3-0 victory against Iran (11th) and therefore temporarily take third place, two victories for the Brazilian leader (who will play at the end of afternoon). Used to long-distance matches in the Nations League (only two 3-0 victories in the first twelve games), France dispatched Iran by winning 25-21, 25-21, 25-19. In the first set, the French led the start of the match, up to 8-8, then the Iranians took the lead but never had more than two points in advance, until 17-17 where the Blues have definitely taken matters into their own hands, winning on their second set point. In the second set, the two teams took turns taking control, then France moved ahead at 10-9 and only needed a set point. Finally, in the third set, the Blues led from start to finish, with a lead that climbed to +6 and the Iranians were never able to come back.. Stephen Boyer was again excellent, with 17 points on the clock, well helped by Earvin Ngapeth, author of 9 points. France will now try to beat Argentina (9th) on Tuesday and Poland (2nd) on Wednesday to try to finish in the top four and compete in the Final Four, even if the objective of the summer remains of course the Olympic tournament. .
French markers: Chinenyeze (7), Tillie (8), Ngapeth (9), Boyer (17), Le Goff (9), Clevenot (4)
Barthélémy Chinenyeze, central of the France team: “A good 3-0 victory, fast, it feels good, especially since we had made a lot of tie-breaks before, it’s nice to put out a match like that. We wanted to have a lot of desire, play hard, let go, it went, the goal is fulfilled. Personally, I was able to rest, because I had a few small pains, it allowed me to arrive in great shape for this match. We have two games left, we will play them hard to try to qualify for the Final Four. Even if it was not a priority at the start, it allows to play two more high-level games, but also to play a title, it’s not nothing, so we will do everything to win, starting on Tuesday by the first game against Argentina, a difficult team to play, with good central and a good passer. “
VOLLEY / LEAGUE OF NATIONS 2021
In Rimini, Italy from May 28 to June 27
Ranking (after 13 days out of 15)
1- Brazil 11 wins (32 points)
2- Poland 10 (30)
3- France 9 (29)
4- Slovenia 9 (26)
5- Serbia 9 (25)
6- Russia 8 (26)
7- Japan 7 (19)
8- United States 6 (17)
9- Argentine 6 (17)
10- Italy 6 (16) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
11- Iran 5 (18) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
12- Canada 4 (13) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
13- Germany 4 (13) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
14- Netherlands 2 (7) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
15- Bulgaria 2 (7) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
16- Australia 1 (2) >>> eliminated from the Final Four race
Week 1
Friday May 28
France – Bulgaria: 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-23)
Saturday May 29
Germany – France : 2-3 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-17)
Sunday May 30
Australia – France : 1-3 (26-28, 25-20, 14-25, 23-25)
Week 2
Thursday June 3
Brazil – France : 0-3 (37-39, 18-25, 28-30)
Friday June 4
Serbia – France : 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23, 15-9)
Saturday June 5
France – Japan: 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-21, 15-11)
Week 3
Wednesday June 9
France – Russia: 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 30-28, 25-19)
Thursday June 10
France – Slovenia : 2-3 (25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 19-25, 9-15)
Friday June 11
Canada – France : 1-3 (25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 17-25)
Week 4
Tuesday June 15
Netherlands – France : 3-2 (15-25, 22-25, 28-26, 25-23, 19-17)
Wednesday June 16
United States – France : 1-3 (23-25, 25-22, 29-31, 22-25)
Thursday June 18
France – Italy : 2-3 (19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 12-15)
Week 5
Monday June 21
France – Iran : 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19)
Tuesday 22 June
18:00: France – Argentine
Wednesday 23 June
15h00 : France – Poland
>> The first four qualify for the Final Four, which will take place on June 26 and 27.
Photo credit: FIVB
