Another season and another great success of Polish club volleyball. In May 2021, it won the Champions League only as the second Polish club in history after Płomień Milowice. Meanwhile, already in mid-March 2022 we know that a year later one Polish club will have a chance to repeat this result.
Jastrzębski Węgiel in the semi-final of the Champions League! They won two sets against Lube
they won 3-2 in a two quarter-final rematch against. The first game in Italy was won by Andrea Gardini’s team 3-0, so by winning in two sets at 2: 2, Jastrzębski secured his promotion to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
It was not without problems. In the first set of the match, the Jastrzębie players lost 24:26 after a tough ending. Jastrzębski also did not manage to win the second game, which Lube ended with a win to 23. The Italians won the endgames, but they did not manage to win the third set. The Poles won 28:26 and they were about a set from promotion to the semi-finals. In the next game, however, they were unstoppable and after the concert game they won with a lead of six points, 25:19. They could enjoy the promotion, and in the tie-break they still beat the Italian giant to 12 and the whole match 3: 2.
Historic second LM final in a row for Poland! There will be a Polish match in the semi-finals
In the semi-finals, the Jastrzębianie will face Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, which is guaranteed to participate in the next phase of the tournament after Dynamo Moscow is excluded from the tournament after the invasion of Ukraine. The Polish semi-final therefore guarantees that one Polish team will play again in this year’s Champions League final.
This is a historic matter for all Polish volleyball – never in the history of the European Club Champions’ Cup Poland has had its representative in the final of the tournament in two consecutive seasons. The best results of this type are the finals of PGE Skra Bełchatów in the 2011/2012 season and Asseco Resovia Rzeszów in the 2014/2015 season. Back then, they were separated by three editions of the Champions League.
The first Polish LM semi-final in seven years. “Something special, without a doubt”
– Polish semi-final? It would be something special, no doubt about it. It would also be good for Polish volleyball, because it would again have a guaranteed team in the Champions League final -.
The meeting of ZAKSA with Jastrzębski will therefore be a great volleyball celebration in our country. The last time such a situation took place in the Champions League was the aforementioned 2014/2015 season, when PGE Skra Bełchatów and PGE Skra Bełchatów competed in the semi-finals in Berlin. Ultimately, the team from Rzeszów was in the final, but lost 0: 3 to Zenit Kazan. In the match for third place, the Bełchatów team lost to the hosts from Berlin Recycling Volleys after the tie-break.
We know where the LM semi-finals can take place. Great information for Polish fans
We asked the presidents of both clubs what the Polish aggregate could look like. After all, this is an opportunity for a significant promotion of Polish volleyball, so often the most important matches of the Champions League are played in larger halls than those used by the clubs on a daily basis.
– We may be interested in playing in Gliwice – said the president of Jastrzębski Węgiel, Adam Gorol. The activist wants to move the match to the local Arena Gliwice, which can accommodate as many as seventeen thousand spectators, which would be great news for fans, but it is a certain obstacle for the team that does not have to change their home hall to a larger facility.
What about the match hosted by Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle? – We are not going to play anywhere else than in Kędzierzyn. We will not try to do it – said Piotr Szpaczek, president of the club in an interview with Sport.pl.
– Who would we like in the semi-finals? Both clubs are class opponents, they are equally strong – thought Szpaczek when asked who would he prefer as a rival before Jastrzębski’s rematch with Lube. – Both teams are on a similar level, but for the sake of Polish volleyball, it would be good if Jastrzębski was promoted and that it would be “our semi-final” – said the activist. His wish was granted. The meetings are scheduled for March 29-31 and April 5-7.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
