Strong as hell, with two match points erased in the tie-break, the Blues offered themselves a benchmark victory against the Polish European champions (3-2) to reach the final of the League of Nations, one month from defend their Olympic title. The French team won at the end of the suspense (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 18-16) at the end of its most successful performance of its VNL campaign. She will have to confirm her rise in power on Sunday, against Japan or Slovenia, to hope to win the event a fourth time.
A new title, after those also won in 2015, 2017 (when the competition was still called the World League) and 2022, would allow the French to approach the big event of the Paris Games in a month full of confidence. And if we had to ask ourselves the question of their motivation in this League of Nations serving as a final rehearsal, their determination and their thirst for victory made them overthrow the Polish mountain in extremis, in an Atlas Arena filled with 12,000 fans who were long seething and finally overwhelmed in an atmosphere of funeral march, dear to Frédéric Chopin.
Everything was decided in the fifth set, in a Hitchcockian scenario, between successful mini-breaks, defeats and replays as we trade blows. And in this game, the French counter, admittedly less numerous in the match (14-10) knew how to make the difference at the best moment, thanks to Nicolas Le Goff (6 on his own) and Trévor Clévenot, who first knew how to bring the Blues, led by two points, back to 12-12. The Poles then had two chances to finish, but it was finally the French who had the last word, through Théo Faure author of the decisive and winning smash.
Faure and Louati gunners
The point guard, who scored 20 points, was decisive in the end of the match, in the wake of Yacine Louati, the top scorer (21 pts) who was also successful, within a team that also saw its star Earvin Ngapeth, recovered from his calf injury, participate in the party, for a few serves, one of which was an ace. Andrea Giani, who had set the goal of reaching the last four of this VNL, hoped to find the “identity of play” that had somewhat fled the team a year ago. Victories are valuable levers, this one even more so, by the virtues demonstrated and the level reached.
The coach also insisted on “the importance of physical and mental condition”, anticipating that matches will often go as far as the tie-break of the fifth set at the Olympics. He was served. At the end of a demanding competition for the organizations, with long trips to three continents (Antalya, Ottawa, Manila, Lodz) in five weeks, the Tricolores seem accustomed to the exercise, since they are seven out of their last ten meetings, with a record of five victories. That said, nothing should prevent them from winning more quickly on Sunday.
