Portugal hoping to complete EuroVolley mission on home soil
News
Team Portugal has travelled home with three wins in as many matches from the CEV EuroVolley 2021 Men qualifier held last weekend in Budapest. They currently lead the way in Pool G on three wins and eight points, followed by Belarus – their first opponent in the second round robin tournament that they are hosting this weekend in Matosinhos.
Hugo Silva“We are yet to win anything. We have only played three matches out of six, so any euphoria is unnecessary. It is true that the match against Belarus is important. Belarus is a top European team with incredible physical qualities, with players still so young and yet already featuring in the Russian national league, which is one of the best leagues in the world. We go match by match, facing everyone with the utmost rigor and trying to take advantage of the moment.”
Head coach of Portugal
In a kind of summary of what happened in the first tournament in Hungary, Silva continues, “Obviously, we have achieved something positive, but we have only done half of the job. We have to stay focused and prepare for three more tough battles and in the end we will do the math.”
Last week in Budapest, Portugal beat Belarus 3-2, with 38-year-old Hugo Gaspar scoring as many as 21 points in the process. “Undoubtedly, it will be the most complicated and important match to seal the qualification. Belarus is very strong and even they did not expect the difficulties they encountered against us. This time it will be more difficult, as they will be more prepared but we really want this qualification and we will give everything to get it as soon as possible. Right now, we have a very balanced group, with very experienced players and some younger ones, which accounts for consistency and extra value. Combining these factors, we managed to build a large group, which is much focused on its goal. We need to be in major competitions and Volleyball to grow needs more results and notoriety. It is an opportunity that we cannot miss.”
Libero João Fidalgo: “The stop caused by the pandemic left everyone with many questions about the strength of some teams. This also happened to us in relation to the first opponent, as we did not have as much information as we would have liked, but during the match, there was a quick and strong adaptation to Belarus, which is clearly the strongest opponent we have in this pool. Obviously, that question no longer exists in this second tournament, here in Matosinhos. The results we managed to achieve in the first tournament left us in a more favourable position for qualifying, it is true, but nothing is guaranteed yet and now we have the matches at home to confirm the qualification. We are still only halfway. We are all aware of that; there is no euphoria or too much optimism here.”