Serbia - Portugal (full match)

Serbia maintained a perfect score at the end of the World Champs qualifier - Group J in Nis, they won against Portugal 3:1 (22:25, 25:11, 25:19, and 25:21) on the last day of the tournament. Aleksandar Atanasijević scored 13 points, while Portugal’s Hugo Gaspar scored 17 points. Having met the primary goal (after second set), Serbia’s coach Igor Kolakovic used the opportunity to let some of the substitute players feel the atmosphere in Nis. The Serbian youngsters were eager to show their skills, and they didn’t allow their rivals hope for anything else than an honorable defeat. Igor Kolakovic, head coach of Serbia: "We are very satisfied because we qualified to the World Championship. We had many ups and downs in this tournament, but in the end it all went well for us. I am impressed with the love and support we felt here in Nis". Joao Jose (he was the best middle-blocker of World Champs 2002), captain of Portugal said: "Overall, I have to be satisfied. We surprised Serbia in the first set, we were consistent, and we played well. After that we couldn’t maintain the rhythm and this is the difference between us and them. They can do this all the time, and we still have to improve a lot".

#AleksandarAtanasijevic #HugoGaspar #Portugal #Serbia #CEVWorldChampionshipsQualifications2014