Ningbo, China, August 9, 2019 - Pool hosts China opened their bid for Tokyo 2020 qualification with a thrilling 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23) victory over Finland in Tokyo Volleyball Qualification Pool F at Beilun Sports and Arts Centre Friday.
Finland captain Eemi Tervaportti: “Of course the first feeling is disappointment. We came here to win this game and we did not do that, so we cannot be happy. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day. We need to focus on the game tomorrow.”
China captain Ji Daoshuai: “It is the first match for both teams and both teams were nervous. I think it is normal for us as most players of China are young with less experience of such competitions. However, after the first two sets, we got used to the rhythm and reversed the disadvantage. Tomorrow we have to be more concentrated and reduce our errors.”
“We had a full preparation for the difficulties today. But we still made some mistakes in counter-attacking, blocking and especially in some key points. We have to fix the problem and keep improving in the next two matches because Canada and Argentina are very strong and skilled in details. I am happy and excited to win the match on such a special day, however we should not get over-excited as we have two tougher games to play,” said Jiang Chuan, the best scorer of the match with 25 points on his 25th birthday.
Finland coach Joel Banks: “Like my captain said, we came here to win the match against China, the weaker team compared to Argentina and Canada. Obviously, we are disappointed as we did not get the victory. I think in many ways, both teams were quite close, but my team clearly did not know how to win. Especially, when we had the advantage, they did not know always how to finish. So I would like to congratulate to coach Lozano and team China for a good 3-1 victory. It is a disappointment but there were also some positive things from our perspective.”
China coach Raul Lozano: “First of all, I am glad that we won the match today, because this is our first match in the qualification round and this victory is important for our next two matches. We were in difficulty for a while because our players were nervous. But I am glad to see our players adjust themselves well. Now we have taken the first step, and next we have to make a good preparation for the next match against Canada.”