Captains and coaches of China and Egypt at the post-match press conference
Gdansk, Poland, September 1, 2014 – China held their ground in a tough challenge by Egypt in the third match of the opening day in Pool C of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the Ergo Arena on Monday.
Egypt captain Saleh Youssef: “We lost this match but we certainly showed our capabilities in the third and fourth sets. It was difficult because of the pressure we felt before the match. I hope we will be able to eliminate our mistakes and start winning.”
Egypt coach Ibrahim Fakhreldin: “We definitely played the fourth set effectively. I am proud of the comeback which my team managed to do in the third set. It is obvious that we made a lot of mistakes in the first two sets. We will try to do our best against other teams and we still have that chance to advance to the next round.”
China captain Zhong Weijun: “Egypt is a very tough opponent. They showed their best skills in the fourth set and it was difficult for us to outrun them. We had so many mistakes in the third set that is why we could not finish the match in the straight sets. Egypt is a very strong team so we are pleased with this outcome. We definitely want to play better in the other matches.”
China coach Xie Guochen: “I was satisfied with my players’ performance during the first two sets, then we made too many mistakes in the next. I think my players got too relaxed in the third set. We hope for the best to seize the upcoming matches.”