Varna, Bulgaria, September 16, 2018 – Bulgaria still have chances to top Pool D of the 2018 FIVB Men’s World Championship after beating Cuba in straight sets 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-18) in front of extremely full stands in Palace of Culture and Sport. With this loss the Central Americans can no longer finish among the first four in the pool in order to qualify for the second phase.
Plamen Konstantinov, head coach of Bulgaria: ‘The most important thing today was that we managed to play all the sets in the same rhythm without dropping our high level of performance. This proved our players are motivated enough to get the maximum from this round of the tournament especially from our last game against Poland. There is no doubt, Polish team is very strong but we have our chances as hosts. Nothing is decided yet!"
Nikolay Uchikov, player of Bulgaria: ´I hope that I can play even better in the next games. Sometimes you play your best but afterwards nothing goes well. Today I was in good condition. The whole team was extra motivated. We faced a very dangerous opponent but we were mentally calmed and game went to the best possible end for us.”
Niclas Coffigny, head coach of Cuba: “First of all congrats to Bulgarian team for having fans like these! The match was very useful for gaining experience. The players have a lot of things to learn yet, but I am sure that they give a 100% to improve their skills. Tonight Bulgaria proved that they are a very tough opponent.”
Livan Rodriguez, player of Cuba: “I am satisfied with my performance against Bulgaria! All of my teammates played with heart. Bulgaria have many volleyball fans and each match is very high attended so it is not a surprise that they are hosting such a big tournament.”