47
18:49
Schott’s next diagonal attack ends up out of bounds. Or not? Michał Winiarski takes the challenge and gets the point! There were still a few millimeters of Balla on the line!
45
18:46
Estonia fight and work their way back into the set with a few hard-fought points. The team chemistry is definitely right with the men from the Baltic States. The lead almost shrank to two points, but Grozer also converted the difficult highball.
44
18:44
Since a lot is concentrated on Grozer, the other German attackers always find themselves in good situations. Schott has only one block against him again and immediately finds the ground.
42
18:42
Winning the first set obviously took a load off the Germans. Now everything looks much more relaxed and they clearly dominate the Estonian outsider. At 3:9 coach Alar Rikberg draws the second Estonian timeout.
40
18:41
Georg Grozer is really leading the way here! Now he is wide awake even during a tip block and celebrates it with a jump in the air. Even at the age of 38, the man still has a lot of fire and wants to do something with the German team!
39
18:39
After the timeout, the Estonian block suddenly appears twice in the center and it’s the underdog’s turn again.
37
18:37
The German block is running hot! Now it’s Georg Grozer who closes the line and gets the next point. Then the 38-year-old hits the block cleverly out of necessity and makes it 5: 1! It’s going well at Grozer, at Germany too! 5:1 and time out Estonia!
35
18:35
What a block! Anton Brehme closes the middle on his own against the first pace of the Estonians and ensures a fantastic start. 2:0 Germany!
30
18:32
Sentence conclusion:
Germany grabs the first set in the opening match against Estonia with 25:22! In a largely balanced set, it was above all the German serve pressure that made the difference and provided the crucial points. Once in a rally, the Estonians hold back and attack in a variety of ways. The DVV selection got off to a solid start, but still has room for improvement in almost all areas. Let’s hope that winning the set will bring some calm and relaxation.
29
18:30
Täht’s next serve lands in the net and we have two set balls for Germany. The Estonian assumption fits, but the outside attack lands centimeters off the line. The first sentence goes to the DVV!
27
18:28
A cracking ace by Robert Täht brings the Estonians back to a point. But the Germans still have the advantage. Coach Michał Winiarski calls his team together again.
26
18:27
Only two more! Grozer works well with the block again and gets the 23:20. Johannes Tille serves, but fires the ball far out.
25
18:25
Ruben Schott hits the ace on the sideline and makes it 22:19!
22
18:24
Georg Grozer is getting better and better and the German team keeps the lead stable. Now the “Hammer-Schorsch” unpacks his serve of 120 km/h and puts his team in a good position, but the first block is not enough. Krick is outwitted at the net and Estonia stays tuned!
20
18:21
Kampa realizes that Schott only has a one-block against him on the outside and the perfect pass comes immediately. Then Grozer is there again and then the German block grabs it! Germany leads again with a break and Estonia takes a time-out!
17
18:19
Anton Brehme gets his second ball and thunders the ball from a height of 3.10 meters onto the hall floor. That was already the second strong point of the German middle blocker.
16
18:17
Grozer takes back the advantage! Estonia can’t do much with Kampa’s jump serve and the German block is there. Grozer then cleverly hits the outside hand and makes the 15:14 clear.
14
18:15
Again and again the Estonians are successful with the pipe from the backfield and successfully get around the German block. Germany is now responding again with Reichert, who pulls down the line on the outside.
12.
18:13
All in all, there is little to get for the serving teams so far. Both of them almost always manage their sideouts confidently and so it’s neck and neck until 10:10.
10
18:11
Rich with the next ace! The 28-year-old outside attacker makes the best impression on serve so far.
8th.
18:09
In this initial phase, Lukas Kampa is always looking for Georg Grozer to get the 38-year-old into the game. Now the 38-year-old comes through again, but Estonia strikes back immediately and everything stays in line.
6.
18:08
But Estonia is also doing well in the sideout so far and is staying tuned. Former Bundesliga player Andri Aganits closes the door on the net against the approaching Grozer and even takes the lead.
5.
18:05
So far, everything looks very smooth and fluid with the DVV team. The assumption fits, the passes are right and Tobias Krick scores to 4:2.
3.
18:04
Reichert immediately adds another service winner, then the Estonians also get their first point. Then it’s up to Germany for the first time via Grozer, who finds a hand on the outside and makes it 3-1.
1.
18:03
It’s going well! After Reichert’s serve, a spectacular rally followed with great saves on both sides. In the end, a German double block ensures the first point win.
1.
18:02
Here we go! Georg Grozer, Ruben Schott, Anton Brehme, Lukas Kampa, Tobias Krick and Moritz Reichert start for Germany!
17:58
It’s about to start in Perugia! The national anthems of both teams have already faded away and the starting formations are on the field. In a few minutes, the German men will start the Volleyball European Championship 2023 with the match against Estonia!
17:49
Opponent Estonia is in rank 39, the worst placed team from the German group in the world rankings. In the European League, the Baltic team was eliminated in the group behind the Czech Republic and Finland in the summer, but they have already won this competition twice (2016 and 2018). For Estonia it is the seventh participation in the European Championship. The best result so far is an eleventh place. At the last event in 2021, they finished in 21st place. The only duel with the German team to date took place there, which clearly went 3-0 to the DVV.
17:44
Superstar Georg “Hammer-Schorsch” Grozer is supposed to help. The 38-year-old diagonal attacker has returned to the national team after a long break and is expected to lead the team with his experience and power. “Georg is our fixed star. In the last ten, 15 years he has been the ultimate crunch time player in German volleyball and worldwide – and still is,” said Captain Kampa in praise of his colleagues. In fact, Grozer will probably get a lot of playing time if his health allows it, because due to the absence of Linus Weber due to illness, he is the only trained diagonal attacker in the German squad.
17:38
After an extremely mixed Nations League season with only three wins from twelve games, Germany has slipped to 15th place in the world rankings and now has to worry about qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris. “We’re under pressure to move up the world rankings,” said captain Lukas Kampa, making it clear: “We want to correct the impression we made in the Nations League.”
17:33
After the German women could not achieve their goals at the parallel European Championships, the men now want to do better. The DVV selection has to compete in group A with the top teams from Italy and Serbia, but they also have two feasible opponents in the group with Belgium and Switzerland. Today’s opening match against Estonia should be the easiest on paper, so the German camp is hoping for a good start to the tournament. The top four of the six teams advance to the round of 16.
17:30
Hello and welcome to the 2023 Men’s Volleyball European Championship! At the start of the group phase, the German team meets Estonia at 6 p.m. in Perugia.