Milan, Italy, September 23, 2018 – Russia comfortably routed Finland 3-0 on Sunday in Milan to secure their participation in the Final Six in Turin.
Sergei Shliapnikov, head coach of Russia: “We wanted to win and we have achieved our goal. I am of course very satisfied with my team, and am happy to have been able to put on court my young players. It was an opportunity to see their level and I am happy that this tournament was useful also for their growth. I think that this second stage went as planned and now we are ready to move ahead.”
Tuomas Sammelvuo, head coach of Finland: “To be here in Milan is already an incredible result for us. It was already an honour to qualify for the World Championship and it was out of our dreams to reach the second stage. I am very happy about how my team performed, especially the young players that in this match really did a wonderful job. We achieved these results by making great sacrifices and I hope my country will recognise this and give more attention to volleyball.”
Urpo Sivula, spiker of Finland: “Against Russia you just have to go and try your best because I think they are one of the favourites in this competition. We have a young team, and many of these young players could be the superstars of the future. Since some of us have probably played our last games, this makes me happy. I think we did well in this tournament even though, at times, we could have done better. To be amongst the top 20 teams in the world is already incredible and everyone is happy about this. This venue was incredible! To see so many people with this kind of passion for volleyball is an unforgettable experience.”