Germany’s volleyball players failed in the European Championships after a tough fight in the round of 16.
In Bari, Italy, national coach Michal Winiarski’s team lost to the Netherlands 2:3 (20:25, 23:25, 25:22, 25:18, 12:15) despite catching up and were eliminated in the first knockout round. On Saturday, the team from the German Volleyball Association (DVV) was only able to build on the good performance from the group final against world and European champion Italy too late.
Germany gained a lot of self-confidence from Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat against the top favorites. The Dutch should feel this. “It will be a tough fight,” top attacker Georg Grozer said in advance: “We have a very good chance of defeating them.”
However, little of this was initially visible on the field. While the Dutch, who had beaten Germany in preparation for the European Championship, got into their game right from the start, the DVV selection was too flawed. The first set was quickly lost, and the second round also went to the Dutch after a service error by Grozer.
Germany fought back against the defeat and, thanks to an increase in performance, secured the third and fourth rounds – but then the knockout followed in the decisive set.