Of our special envoy to Castelnau-le-Lez
Montpellier – Tours : 2-3
Dimitrov has torn his jersey. Of spite, rage, frustration. Others have remained prostrate for a few moments, a few minutes. The sadness, the Montpellier disappointment was abyssal this Monday evening. And they could only be. As the Joy Touraine was immense after this block deleted by Alexandre Strehlau. This raging, saving, liberating block.
Because the Tourangeaux returned from afar, far. In this laborious season Ô Possible, emotionally exhausting. In this series of very, very high level. With this defeat on the thread last Friday, at the nearest two points in the tie-break which they had to get up. With this first Set also dropped 25-23 and which put them back on the wall. With this third where, martyred by Montpellier, they gave the impression of being on the edge of the K.-O .. they were in any case at the forefront with no joker, no right to error.
The Tourangeaux did not knee on the ground
But no, the Tourangeaux did not knee on the ground. And they do not intend to put it in this new final which is offered to them, probably not the most awaited in recent years – remember that for the fourth season in a row the TVB reaches the final of the championship – but not the least deserved with regard to the work provided, this hard work, far from looks, against and against everything.
This may be why the celebration spent on the ground, the Touraine emotion remained contained afterwards. This is that this group has not finished with its history. There are players there that are moved by singular journeys, personal stories and for whom to be of this final means a lot, and winning it would mean so much and so.
A crazy dramaturgy, “a beautiful play”
And it is perhaps this inner force that made Montpellier crack, at the end of the end of this fight, of this third act which will have been of a crazy dramaturgy. “A beautiful play”as Luca Ramon will say.
-And it started, of course, from the first points. Montpellier tapped hard, blocked (already), multiplied in defense. At 3-0 for the Goff & Co, Sclater made a gesture of the hands to say “quiet”. And in fact, Tours returned, held the shock, escaped 13-16. And it is … the Tourangeau de Montpellier, Théo Conré, who on his services brought Montpellier to height, and even in front, 17-16. The Mano A Mano left the more beautiful, the tension too. But Araca’s block on Lopez gave your hand to TVB (20-21). He still had it at 22-23, but Palacios was decisive, Dimitrov too and what to say of Lopez who released the ACE on the first Set 25-23 ball!
The blow was tough. But not enough. By becoming strongly again on its bases, and in particular the service (varied, appropriate), Tours would quite the contrary take the ascendant in the following set. And even very frankly with a 6-12, and a 19-24 which let see something coming. Except that … these are not one, not two, not three set balls that Montpellier will have deleted immediately, but seven! With a series of three deadly against Palacios and Seddik. Then even a set ball for the MHSC swept by Strehlau. It was then in Araca to release the big game in the service, and to sclatal to conclude this crazy round (27-29)!
An X factor named Roland Gergye
And in this evening at the roller coaster, the third was therefore not frankly heralding the suite since dominated by Montpellier 25-19. Except that, at 15-9, Marcelo Fronckowiak launched Quiroga instead of Strehlau, but especially Gergye in place of Pothron. And this time, the Hungarian did not enter for a service, nor for the holders to refresh the meninges. No, he hit hard, impact. Tours was going to return to 17-14, that was not going to change the course of this round, but indeed that of this meeting. This Monday evening, the X factor was Roland Gergye!
Because, while Montpellier led 15-12 in the fourth set, he made his return. And with him, the whole TVB is mounted very high. It was necessary in front of this team! At 19-19, your blocks multiplied; Sclatal found all his edge and it was Tours who pocketed him 22-25. Everything except miraculous, but all the same!
Bis repeat in an unbreakable tie-break. At 6-4, at 8-6, the trend was Montpellier. She was more than ever at 10-8 after an unfavorable challenge in Tours and a whistled fault in Araca. And yet … The Tourangeaux succeeded in the impossible. Equalize at 10-10 with a counter of Gergye, then not to let go of the fault, fatal, of Palacios (13-14) and this masterful block of Strehlau.
The Tours-Poitiers final is no longer a fiction, less a fantasy. See you on Saturday in Lawson-Body!
The matters of the match.
© (NR infographic)
