The reigning Olympic champions, France, kicked off their EuroVolley 2023 campaign with a convincing victory over Türkiye in Tel-Aviv on Wednesday, winning in straight sets (25-21, 30-28, 27-25). Despite some nerve-wracking moments in each set, the French team demonstrated their superiority in attack and stable reception, which proved to be the key to their success in the 96-minute matchup.
Middle blocker Barthélémy Chinenyeze and opposite Jean Patry led the French team with 15 points each, with Chinenyeze recording an impressive 82% attack efficiency. On the Turkish side, Adis Lagumdzija finished as the top scorer with 14 points, although he only managed a 35% attack efficiency.
The French team started poorly in the first set, trailing 7-12, but managed to turn the tide thanks to a good connection between setter Antoine Brizard and Chinenyeze. The second and third sets saw a similar narrative, with France leading but unable to pull away from a determined Turkish side. Despite some lapses in concentration and 21 serving faults, the French team managed to save match points and clinch the victory.
In the upcoming Pool D match, France is set to compete against Portugal on Thursday, a team that also had a game today. In another Pool D encounter tonight, Portugal secured a 3-0 victory over Romania.
Pool D
Greece vs Israel 2-3 (17-25, 29-27, 25-21, 21-25, 13-15)
France vs. Türkiye 3-0 (25-21, 30-28, 27-25)
Romania vs. Portugal 0-3 (19-25, 18-25, 23-25))
