Bulgaria shock Italy with tiebreaker victory
 June
10, 2005 – Bulgaria, ranked 13th in the world,
pulled off a stunning 3-2 (18-25, 31-29, 25-10,
20-25, 15-13) upset win over world number two
and 2004 World League runner’s up Italy in
Roseto d. Abruzziin on Friday opening the third
round of the 2005 World League in sensational
style.
The match, which lasted nearly two hours, was
full of drama, excitement and outstanding play
as both sides fought to the end in a tense five
set thriller infront of over 5,000 screaming
fans.
Pic: Bulgaria salut their fans after Friday's
epic five set win over Italy
Italy were seeking the double from this
weekend’s matches and it showed as they cruised
to an easy first set win, but it was the second
set which was the turning point in the match.
Bulgaria eventually claimed it after 33 minutes
to level the match and as Italian coach
Gianpaolo Montali confirmed it was the turning
of the game.
The second set was the crucial one,” Montali
said. “What if we won that set? We are in a
strange mood. We win, we lose. We must find some
continuity. The team is a new one and we have to
work on it.”
“I agree with Gianpaolo,” Bulgarian captain
Palmen Kostantinov said. “We clinched (the
second set) after a real battle. If we lost it,
maybe the match would have been another story,
but I am happy because we found some sort of
continuity, which is a very important target for
us.”
The win secures Bulgaria’s second from five
matches and keeps them in contention for the
final round while Italy will be desperate to win
the second match on Sunday to keep their final
round hopes intact.
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