Bulgarian volleyball fans held their breath. In Pasay City, Philippines, a key moment awaits the national team – the first semi-final of the Men's World Championship. The opponent is the Czech Republic, and the match is scheduled to begin at 9:30 AM Bulgarian time. The tension is palpable, the hopes are immense.
After the decisive match concludes, it will become clear who will compete for the gold on Sunday. This match will pit the last two world champions against each other – Poland and Italy. The clash between the volleyball giants is scheduled for 2:30 PM Bulgarian time.
The Bulgarian national team reached the final four of the World Championship for the first time since 2006. The success came after a dramatic 3:2 set victory over the United States team. The atmosphere in the hall was electrifying, and the Bulgarian athletes showed admirable will and composure in difficult moments.
We remind you that 19 years ago, the national team won a bronze medal in Japan. Then, Bulgaria was stopped by Poland a step away from the final. The "Lions" can boast a silver medal, won in 1970. Then, our team lost to West Germany in the home championship. In their record, our men's team also has three more bronze medals from the World Championship – in 1949, 1952, and 1986.
Now the dream is not only for a second final, but also for a historic first gold. The team led by Gianlorenzo Blengini started confidently at the championship, convincingly winning all three matches of the group stage of the tournament against Germany, Slovenia, and Chile. This was followed by a decisive victory over Portugal, and the peak of emotions was the epic comeback against the USA in the 1/4 finals. Our nationals were losing with 0:2 sets, but despite this, they gathered strength and achieved a phenomenal success over Karch Kiraly's selection. The efforts and determination of the players left no one indifferent.
The opponent, the Czech Republic, which has not had a medal since it played as Czechoslovakia (two gold and four silver medals), demonstrated an impressive game in the Philippines. The Czechs surpassed a group with the three-time champions of the planet Brazil, and in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, they only conceded one set to Tunisia and Iran, respectively. There are only a few hours left until the decisive clash, which will determine who will continue to the coveted final.