Officials
Vladimir OLEYNIK
Stefano CESARE
Overview
The clash between the winner of Pool C - the Netherlands, who in the pool phase suffered only one defeat - in five sets against Russia and Portugal who was 4th in Pool A. These teams met for the first time at the European championship since 1951, when Portugal beat the Netherlands twice. Dutch leader Nimir Abdel Aziz is the best scorer of the pool phase, recording 122 points and together with his teammates he hopes to reach the last eight for the first time since 2009.
Head-to-Head
· The Netherlands and Portugal meet at the European Championships for the first time since 1951, when the Portuguese beat the Dutch twice: 3-1 in the group stage and 3-0 in the consolation pool.
· The only other meeting between these nations at the European Championships came in the very first edition in 1948. Portugal won in straight sets.
· The Netherlands (9 wins) and Portugal (5 wins) met 14 times in major world level tournaments (Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup, Grand Champions Cup, World League, Volleyball Nations League): once at the World Championships (1956) and 13 times in the World League (2013-2017).
· The Netherlands defeated Portugal 3-1 in their most recent world level meeting, in the 2017 World League.
Netherlands
· The Netherlands progressed to the knockout stage by finishing top of Pool C, only losing to Russia (3-2) in the group stage.
· The Netherlands have not recorded a top-eight finish in the competition since a seventh-place finish in 2009.
· At the 2019 European Championships, Netherlands lost 3-1 to neighbours Germany in the Eighth Final match.
· The Netherlands could record more than four wins at a European Championships for the first time since they registered seven wins in their title-winning campaign on home courts in 1997.
· The Netherlands could win three successive matches in a single edition of EuroVolley for the first time since 2003.
· Nimir Abdel-Aziz won 122 points for the Netherlands in the final round of this tournament, most of all players. Earlier this year, Abdel-Aziz (264) finished as tournament top scorer at the 2021 Volleyball Nations League.
Portugal
· Portugal progressed to the knockout stage by finishing fourth in Pool A. Their two wins came against Belgium (3-2) and Greece (3-1).
· Portugal's only previous top-eight finishes in the tournament came in their first two participations: fourth in 1948 (out of six teams) and seventh in 1951 (out of 10 teams).
· Portugal could record more than two wins at a European Championships for the second time, after four wins in 1951 (including two against the Netherlands).
· Alexandre Ferreira (63) picked up the most points for Portugal in the final round of this tournament.
· Miguel Tavares Rodrigues (10) is one of the few players to have reached 10+ aces in this year's final round.
Alexandre FERREIRA"We have to play to win from the start. The Netherlands have very good players and are playing at a good level, but we have showed good quality and we want to make our country proud."
Portugal Captain & #6
Michaël PARKINSON"We will try to play our own game and focus on our own systems. We are confident and if Portugal adjust to change the game then so will we."
The Netherlands #17
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Match Polls
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Officials
First RefereeVladimir OLEYNIKRUSSecond RefereeStefano CESAREITA
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Venue Information
You can easily reach the venue by using public transportation. The two most convenient means include SKM trains which run regularly from all local directions (leave at Gdańsk Żabianka stop, then take a 10-minute walk down the Subisława and Rybacka streets) and ZTM trams (trams no. 2, 8, 6, 11 – leave at Gospody/Osiedle Wejhera stops, then follow the information boards). In order to get to ERGO ARENA straight from the airport, take the PKM train which has its stop at the airport, then change at Gdańsk Wrzeszcz stop and take the SKM train towards Gdańsk Żabianka. For fans, who are choosing to travel by car, we recommend the so-called Green Route which connects the venue with Grunwaldzka street/Niepodległości avenue – the main Gdańsk-Sopot road. Capacity: 12000
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How To Attend
, , Capacity: 12000
ERGO ARENA is one of the biggest and most advanced multifunctional venues in Poland. Located right on the border of Gdańsk and Sopot, ERGO ARENA can gather up to 11100 fans during volleyball and basketball games and, depending on the kind of planned event, can bring together from 5100 up to 15000 people. Starting in 2010, ERGO ARENA has been providing Poland with the highest level of entertainment. Get directions
Featured Players
Thijs TER HORST
Bio
Thijs ter Horst is the powerhouse for the Dutch on the outside. After having played three years in Korea for the Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs he returned to Italy where he previously played for Verona. He joined Piacenza and after a year he transferred to Sir Sicoma Perugia in 2020. He played most of the season as opposite and can be used by head coach Piazza on both positions.
Team
THE NETHERLANDS 
Address
De Weerelt, Orteliuslaan 1041 UTRECHTContacts
Previous Games
| 14/09/2021 | vs. |
0 - 3 | L | Go to Match Centre |
| 12/09/2021 | vs. |
3 - 2 | W | Go to Match Centre |
| 07/09/2021 | vs. |
3 - 1 | W | Go to Match Centre |
- All Time
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30Competitions Played
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2Titles
- Competition
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11Matches Played
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8Matches Won
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73%Win %
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28Sets Won
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1005Points Won
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51%Attack %
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53%Reception %
Team
- Birth Date: 1992
- Birth Place: Sliedrecht
- Height: 201 cm
- Birth Date: 1991
- Birth Place: Nijverdal
- Height: 204 cm
- Birth Date: 1989
- Birth Place: Enkhuizen
- Height: 196 cm
- Birth Date: 1991
- Birth Place: Rijssen
- Height: 199 cm
- Birth Date: 1991
- Birth Place: Reading
- Height: 203 cm
- Birth Date: 1990
- Birth Place: THE NETHERLANDS
- Height: 192 cm
- Birth Date: 1997
- Birth Place: Zevenhuizen
- Height: 205 cm
Recent Results
Team Comparison
Gallery
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Nimir the difference as Dutch match Quarters
Nimir Abdel Aziz"The victory is the most important. Honestly, I don't care how many points I made, because only the result is important. I don't think that it was a good match on a good level for us, but we won and that's what counts."
captain of the Netherlands
Miguel Tavares"I'm very proud of my team, we are an inexperienced team at this level of competition, so I think that we made a good run. Obviously, when you lose 3-2 and 15-13 in tie-break it's always hard to accept, but I think we played a really good tournament, everyone played a huge role in our team. Today we lost our chance in the second set, we were leading but we lost so it was hard for our morale and it was not easy to come back. Nimir played an amazing tie-break, we couldn't stop him"
setter of Portugal
The match in numbers
The combined total number of points scored by both teams throughout the entire match.
The total length of the match, from the first serve through until the last point has ended.
Total number of people in attendance at the venue – taken at the end of the second set.
The combined total number of successful spikes achieved by both teams throughout the entire match.
An average of the two team service reception percentages from the complete match.
The number of successful point winning blocks of THE NETHERLANDS compared to PORTUGAL.
THE NETHERLANDS number of service aces compared to PORTUGAL
Errors leading to points of THE NETHERLANDS, next to those from PORTUGAL