GERMANY kept its hopes alive by fending off Chile, 25-17, 25-23, 25-21, in Pool E of the FIVB Volleyball World Championship on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Coming off an upset loss to Bulgaria on Saturday, the Germans turned to their captain, Gyorgy Grozer, who restored their winning ways with 19 points, including 17 kills, one ace, and a block.
The 40-year-old opposite spiker led a balanced attack as Germany improved to a 1-1 record ahead of their crucial match against Slovenia on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
“Today was better than against Bulgaria. Of course, Chile is not a strong team, but they fought really hard against us. You could see in the second and third sets that they never gave up,” said Grozer.
“Our performance in several elements was much better, but we still didn’t reach our full potential. I hope that in the third game we can play even better and secure a win against Slovenia.”
Erik Rohrs backed up their skipper with 13 points, coming to the rescue when Chile cut Germany’s lead to one in the third set, 22-21, drilling three consecutive kills.
Anton Brehme was also instrumental for Germany with 10 points, while Tobias Krick and Moritz Reichert contributed seven points apiece.
“I think you can see some relief. It’s a tough World Championship, not only in our group but also in others. Nothing is guaranteed here, so you have to fight for it,” said Germany assistant coach Paweł Rusek. “In the first set, Chile was underwhelming, but after that they really played to their potential, so our applause to Chile.”
“If you face a team like Slovenia, who has consistently reached Finals and Final Fours in major tournaments and has such a strong volleyball culture, it’s an amazing match to play. We will see what’s necessary in the group, but understandably, it’s going to be a great and important match for us. We are happy and thrilled to prepare as best as possible,” he added.
Colombia was eliminated from contention with a 0-2 record and will play their final game against Bulgaria on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
Vicente Parraguirre tried to keep Chile in the fight with 14 points, while Noe Aravena added 11 points.
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