The Red Dragons were unable to win their final match of the second VNL week in Gliwice. Belgium lost 0-3 to a strong Turkish side, with opposite Adis Lagumdzija putting the Dragons under constant pressure. The set scores were 24-26, 24-26 and 17-25.

Head coach Emanuele Zanini started the match with the same seven players as against Germany. Belgium made the better start and quickly took a 7-3 lead. With strong service pressure, the Dragons extended the gap to 12-7. Belgium kept the upper hand in the first set and moved ahead to 19-15, but Turkey stayed in touch. Lagumdzija was the main source of points for the Turkish team. A few Belgian mistakes allowed Turkey to level the score at 19-19, forcing Zanini to take a time-out. Turkey pushed on and moved ahead to 19-21, but with Perin at the service line, the Dragons immediately turned the deficit around and took a 22-21 lead. Turkey then responded with a service run of their own and earned two set points at 22-24. Reggers saved both of them and at 24-24 everything was to play for again, but Turkey proved strongest in the decisive moments and took the opening set 24-26.

In the second set, Rotty replaced Perin. Belgium started evenly and both teams had to fight for every point. The Dragons took a small lead at 9-7, but just like in the first set, they were unable to hold on to it. From 11-11, Turkey moved three points ahead at 13-16. Lagumdzija was unstoppable for the Turkish side and already hammered down his 16th point midway through the second set. Turkey seemed to have created the decisive gap at 15-20, but the Dragons refused to give up. At 20-22, the Turkish coach took a time-out. Moments later, D’Heer levelled the score at 22-22 with an ace, forcing Turkey into a second time-out. But once again, Turkey were stronger in moneytime and also won the second set 24-26. And who else but Lagumdzija finished it off for the Turkish team.

The narrow losses in the first two sets seemed hard to digest for the Red Dragons. Turkey sensed their chance to claim a third win of their VNL week, after victories against China and Argentina, and a narrow 2-3 defeat against Poland, just like Belgium. That showed once again that the Turkish team has plenty of quality. Belgium struggled to find its rhythm in the third set and Turkey quickly built a 2-9 lead. Baetens, who came off the bench, tried to bring some fire back into the team. When he scored the 4-9 and Reggers followed with two points in a row, Belgium seemed to regain some belief. At 6-9, the Turkish coach took a time-out. The Dragons came back to within one point at 9-10, but were unable to move ahead. Turkey stepped on the gas again and pulled away to 10-16. Zanini tried to change the momentum with several substitutions, but without success. The Dragons were no longer able to close the gap and Turkey moved from 12-19 and 14-22 to a 17-25 win in the third set.

For Turkey, opposite Adis Lagumdzija played an outstanding match. He finished with 23 points.

Ferre Reggers felt that Belgium allowed Turkey to get into their game too easily. “We should have put more pressure on them. I haven’t seen the numbers yet, but I think their reception was very high. If they can play from a good situation, it is difficult for us to stop them, because they are very physical and they play fast. We have to watch this game again, also to see how we behaved. This was not the way we played in the first three matches.”

Looking back on the full VNL week, Reggers also saw positive signs. “We showed that at certain moments we can reach a very good level. But we have to become more consistent. We are a young and new team, and for many players this is their first time in the VNL. We have to find a way to maintain our high level for longer periods.”

Head coach Emanuele Zanini was strict with his team after the match. “This was not our team. This was absolutely not the identity we want to show. I did not recognise my team in this match. Of course, Turkey and their experience deserve respect, but today we did not bring enough. Some players are only playing their third or fourth match with the national team, so there are many lessons to learn. One of them is to stay humble and keep both feet on the ground. You cannot change your attitude because you win one match or receive some attention. Today we wasted a great opportunity to compete against Turkey.”

For Zanini, the main lesson of the week was clear. “We can never lose our humility. We have to respect every opponent to the maximum, because all teams in this competition have more experience and more physical qualities. I am disappointed and angry about the attitude we showed today. This is a big lesson for this young group and something we have to learn from for the future.”

Played for Belgium: Reggers (22), Plaskie (1), D’Heer (6), Valkiers, Fafchamps (4), Perin (9), Lantsoght
Came in: Baetens (2), Fransen, Rotty (4), Van Hoyweghen, Verwimp, Van Genechten