2006 World Championships   More World Championship news       Tournament info: Greece

Greece win tournament as Portugal claims play off berth

Larissa, Greece, July 20, 2005 – Hosts Greece beat Serbia and Montenegro 3-0 (25-21, 32-30, 25-20) on Wednesday to win the 2006 Men's World Championship European third Round tournament - Pool J, after both sides had claimed final round tickets on Tuesday.

Both sides had confirmed their top two positions after winning their opening two matches so Wednesday’s match was an effective final for tournament honours.

"My wish for both Greece and Serbia & Montenegro to reach the World Championship final round came true,” Greece coach Costas Charitonidis said. “It was a procedural match, so there was not too much will to try harder. We, however, wanted to win more than our opponents, so that we could satisfy the fans that supported us so well these last three days."

In Wednesday’s other match, Portugal beat Turkey 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-17) to finish third and seal their spot in the four-team play off for one ticket to the World Championship finals.

"We wanted to defeat Greece and Turkey, but only managed to do the latter,” Portugal head coach Orlando Samuels said. “We still have one more chance at reaching the World Championships, however, and we must now prepare for this.”