VOLLEYBALL\\\ After the victory over Serbia, the Poles today qualified for the semi-final of the European Championship, in which they will face the unpredictable and dangerous Slovenia.
The victory in the quarterfinals of the European Championship was the 15th consecutive victory for the team led by Nikola Grbic. This is the second longest winning streak in history, and the Serbian is already better than Hubert Wagner in this statistic.
Today, in the semi-final, they will face Slovenia who, hard to believe, have beaten the Poles in the previous four European Championships!
>>> 2015 – 3:2 for Slovenia in the quarter-finals (Slovenia – silver)
>>> 2017 – 3:0 for Slovenia in the play-offs (the teams who finished the group stage in second and third place played there)
>>> 2019 – 3:1 for Slovenia in the semi-final (Slovenia – silver, Poland – bronze)
>>> 2021 – 3:1 for Slovenia in the semi-final (Slovenia – silver, Poland – bronze)
However, if the white and red team wins today and also wins in the final, then it will equal the feat of its predecessors from the era of Raul Lozano, who won 17 times in a row (from July 30 to December 2 2006). ).
This is the fifth major event in which Polish volleyball players are fighting for a medal, and the fourth during Grbic’s tenure. Since winning the Nations League, the Serbian coach can also enjoy his best competitive winning streak since taking charge of the Polish national team.
The Polish national team has not stopped winning since June 25, when it completed the second tournament of the regular stage of the Nations League in Rotterdam. They then traveled to Pasay City in the Philippines for the third time and finished undefeated. After a ten-day break, they played the LN final in Gdańsk and there, after an 11-year break, they won the gold medal. Following their success, they returned to action just over a month later and have since won match after match at the European Championships.
15 wins under Nikola Grbic (June 25-September 12, 2023)
* Italy – Poland 1:3 (19:25, 26:28, 25:18, 20:25) – regular phase of the Nations League, Rotterdam
* Poland – Slovenia 3:2 (29:31, 21:25, 25:20, 25:20, 15:13) – regular phase of the Nations League, Pasay City
* Poland – Brazil 3:1 (25:23, 22:25, 25:21, 25:21) – regular phase of the Nations League, Pasay City
* Poland – Canada 3:0 (25:21, 25:23, 27:25) – regular phase of the Nations League, Pasay City
* Japan – Poland 0:3 (5:25 p.m., 7:25 p.m., 6:25 p.m.) – Nations League regular stage, Pasay City
* Poland – Brazil 3:0 (26:24, 25:21, 25:20) – Nations League Quarter-Final, Gdańsk
* Japan – Poland 1:3 (25:19, 26:28, 17:25, 21:25) – Nations League Semi-Final, Gdańsk
* Poland – USA 3:1 (25:23, 24:26, 25:18, 25:18) – Nations League Final, Gdańsk
* Poland – Czech Republic 3:0 (25:17, 24:20, 25:20) – group stage of the European Championships, Skopje
* Netherlands – Poland 1:3 (25:23, 13:25, 19:25, 22:25) – group stage of the European Championship, Skopje
* Poland – North Macedonia 3:0 (25:12, 24:21, 25:14) – group stage of the European Championships, Skopje
* Poland – Denmark 3:0 (25:23, 25:9, 25:20) – group stage of the European Championship, Skopje
* Montenegro – Poland 0:3 (14:25, 11:25, 12:25) – group stage of the European Championship, Skopje
* Poland – Belgium 3:1 (25:16, 25:17, 23:25, 25:22) – 1/8 final of the European Championship, Bari
* Poland – Serbia 3:1 (26:28, 25:15, 36:34, 25:17) – quarter-final of the European Championship, Bari
If the Polish team wins the European Championships, Grbic will be tied in terms of winning streak length with Lozano. And it’s not the end of the season, because the Poles will also play the Olympic qualifiers in China. And since they are clear favorites, there is a chance for more victories. First of all, we have to beat Slovenia today…
* Other quarter-final results: Slovenia – Ukraine 3:1 (25:17, 31:29, 21:25, 25:23), Romania – France 0:3 (22:25, 14:25, 25:27 ), Italy – Netherlands 3:2 (7:25 p.m., 25:17 p.m., 25:16 p.m., 11:25 p.m., 3:12 p.m.).
* Semi-finals, Thursday: Poland – Slovenia (18), Italy – France (9:15 p.m.).
* Saturday, match for 3rd place (18); final (21)
