Saint-Nazaire takes the lead against Tours in the final

Laps: 0
Saint-Nazaire: 1

The sets: 21-25 (in 32′).

Second set

7-2. ACE of Aracaju!!!! And the TVB takes off at the start of the second round, to the point that Saint-Nazaire takes a timeout.

3-1. “Where is the ball? He’s in the net! » sing the Int’nables! And it makes 3-1 for Tours on this error in Hallé’s service.

First set

21-25. The fourth was the right one! Ewert offers the set to Saint-Nazaire with a sharp attack.

21-24. The TVB erased three set points, with two attacks from Dramé and a block from Parkinson on Ewert. Time out for Saint-Nazaire.

17-21. It defends very, very strongly on the Nazaire side! And the SNVBA begins the money-time in a position of strength.

16-19. On the Touraine side, Palonsky, in trouble since the start of the match, is replaced by Tammearu.

15-17. Hallé gives Saint-Nazaire two steps ahead. Tours remains in contact but spends his time running behind the score.

11-11. Aboubacar Dramé is on fire tonight! His attack allows his team to equalize, after having already returned to 9-9 and 10-10 without having managed to take the advantage behind.

7-9. OOOOOHH the ace of Dramé who is close to being out! And the TVB pointer continues with a second ace, making Grenon stand up and pushing Saint-Nazaire to take a timeout! (8-9)

4-9. Time out set by Marcelo Fronckowiak, the Touraine coach. It’s off to a bad start for his team…

2-5. Palonsky’s attack goes off the field and that’s already +3 for Saint-Nazaire, who defends very well and seems to be starting on the same basis as the first leg.

0-1. Let’s go for this final return! And it was Saint-Nazaire who scored the first point of the match, taking advantage of a service from Mendez which ended up in the net. But Isaacson imitates him and it makes 1-1.

No surprises on the Nazaire and Touraine workforce.

The pre-match

6:55 p.m. It’s time for the player presentations. The Nazairians enter the field in turn, followed by the Tourangeaux. And it’s making noise in the Grenon bays to support the TVB!

6:52 p.m. End of warm-up! The atmosphere is rising, and so is the pressure!

6:45 p.m. TVB alumni are there, with Pierre Derouillon and David Konečný.

6:40 p.m. Since we are talking about the public, the Tourangeaux will be able to count on the unwavering support of the Int’nables, their supporters. They were actively preparing for this final, with flags and banners, last Friday. “With the enthusiasm, there should be a great atmosphere”they judged.

And that is indeed the case! The Nazaire supporters were already setting the mood in front of the Palais des Sports an hour and a half before kick-off! There is now a match in the stands, between this blue wave from Nazaire and a Touraine public dressed all in white.

6:35 p.m. What is the key that can lead Tours to victory? For Leandro Aracaju, it will be, above all, the collective: “I have full confidence in the whole team. » And to detail: “We need more aggression. […] The experience, the tranquility, it counts in these moments. Lucidity too, that is to say the ability to do things well at the right time. This is where we need to be strong in our heads. »

And then, the Touraine public, who came in large numbers since Grenon is sold out, will also have a role to play. “We need the public to help us, to give us additional energy. »

6:30 p.m. This match is also Pascal Foussard’s last as general director of TVB. For someone who has been with the club for many years, the subject is not his departure, but this final return. “The important thing is not that I stop or that I continue, it is to win this match. I always had this concept: as soon as I reach the final, it calms me down. Because we managed to go all the way. Afterwards, yes, it is 120% about winning it but the principle of a successful season is to go until the last match. Well, I’m not saying, if we get to the golden set, I’ll be a little less zen! »

6:25 p.m. He’s there ! Shining with a thousand lights, spicy as desired, the famous championship trophy awaits its future owner on the edge of the field.

6:20 p.m. Some figures while the two teams are warming up and the public is warming up their vocal cords.

10 is the current record for French championship titles held by AS Cannes. The TVB can claim to join the Riviera club, if successful this Sunday. He would then have 28 titles in all competitions, from the Champions League to the Super Cup which he won again this fall.

For more figures, data, comparisons, find our comparison between Tours, the regular, and the surprise guest Saint-Nazaire.

6:15 p.m. Saint-Nazaire has certainly taken an option, but be careful not to see itself as champion too soon… Because anything can still happen this evening! But the TVB will have to perform an XXL performance to be crowned. Because he must first win the match (no matter the score) to push Saint-Nazaire to a golden set which will be played in fifteen winning points (like a tie-break).

A situation which is not unknown to the Tourangeaux, since this is exactly how they won the championship last year: dominated in the first leg at Chaumont, they won the return final at home before losing. impose on the golden set.

And precisely: can the fact of having upset the final last year during the return match be an advantage or a danger for the TVB?

On the one hand, this recent story has the advantage of demonstrating that this is possible. But the risk is obviously to believe a little too much in the lucky star… Pascal Foussard (general director of TVB), who has experienced all the possible final scenarios, brushes aside both hypotheses: “It’s not the same team, it’s not the same players. And then, I repeat it often but it is like this: each match has its story. » And this also applies between a first leg final and a return final…

6:10 p.m. For the moment, it is Saint-Nazaire who has one hand on the trophy. Because the Nazairiens dominated Tours during the first leg (3-1), Wednesday April 24. And not just a little! Cascading blocks, crazy defenses, attacks of surgical precision and above all unfailing determination… Saint-Nazaire played against the Tourangeaux who did not find the solution, despite a burst of pride in the second set .

Relive this first leg match in pictures here.

6:05 p.m. In previous episodes… Towers, 4^e of the regular season, had achieved a perfect run in the play-offs to reach the final, eliminating Montpellier and Chaumont in turn, without losing a single match!

Saint-Nazaire, 7^e at the end of the regular phase, struggled a little more to qualify for the final, but produced impressive performances by eliminating Nantes-Rezé in three straight matches, then Tourcoing in the support match. Suffice to say that this final pits two stubborn teams against each other!

6 p.m. Hello everyone and welcome to this live! This evening, Tours Volley-Ball welcomes Saint-Nazaire in the return final of the French championship. So, who will win the champion title? Response from 7 p.m.!