Varna, Bulgaria, August 11, 2019 – It was a matter of pride but Egypt managed to win their last match in Pool A of the FIVB Tokyo Volleyball Qualification. The Pharaohs beat Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-17, 31-29, 25-17) but the score was academic as both teams had no chances to get the Olympic ticket after their two losses in the opening matches.
Guido Vermeulen, Egypt head coach: “We are happy because we go home with a win. We played good against Bulgaria and even better against Brazil so it was matter of time to get a victory. The tournament was good for our preparation. We have African Games and World Cup ahead so we just keep going.”
Atia Rashad, Egypt captain: “It was important for us to start winning. It is good for our pride, confidence and especially for the beginning of our preparation for the upcoming African Games in Morocco.”
Oswald Antonetti, Puerto Rico coach: “It is difficult when you come from the other part of the world and you have to face teams like Brazil and Bulgaria. Today we competed, we were close to win the second set and probably the game would go in a different way. It’s a learning process for a bunch of our players. Hopefully we will have the projection and the character to keep going and to improve.”
Maurice Torres, Puerto Rico captain: “It was a tough game and I think we weren't well mentally prepared for it. We came in this game expecting to do one thing and when they put us in fight we couldn’t fight back. It all was our fault. This lost is a hole to us as a team. We can't underestimate every team no matter what situation is. We played well in the first two days but today we just couldn’t find our form.”