Day 2
Argentina record first win over Tunisia
Saitama, Japan, November 19, 2007: Argentina recorded their first victory of the World Cup -- but not without a struggle as they beat Tunisia 3-1 at Saitama Super Arena on Monday. Wild-card Bulgaria beat African champions Egypt in four sets in the teams’ second match in Pool B of the men’s World Cup.
After their 66-minute volleyball lesson by Russia on Sunday, the South American vice champions rebounded to hold off a slow-starting Tunisia 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23.
With the win, Argentina improved their World Cup record to 1-1. Tunisia, the African vice champions, dropped to the same 1-1 mark, after their heroic five-set success against Japan the previous evening.
In the first set, the Tunisians looked a little tired from the marathon against Japan, and Argentina were able to build a five-point lead, 8-3, at the first TTO.
Milinkovic put together some accurate serves, enabling Diego Stepanenko to pick one off at the net. Stepanenko then blocked Khaled Belaid for two successive points.
Guillermo Garcia showed his power with a clean spike on the left and a service ace due more to poor reception and slow response from Tunisia.
Trailing 10-4, Tunisia replaced Marouane Garci -- top scorer against Japan with 20 points -- with Hichem Kaabi, and the Argentine lead was down to three at the second TTO. Thanks to the efforts of Quiroga on the left, Argentina could stay ahead 16-13.
Rodrigo Aschemacher pounded an Argentine winner down the middle for 18-14, and Milinkovic, close in on the right, made it 19-15.
The Tunisians were still out of sorts, unable to find the same drive and momentum that had kept them going the previous evening, and they needed a TO down 20-15 and with Argentina looking confident and hungry for points.
Kaabi began to make inroads into the five-point deficit, but when another Milinkovic spike from the right split the Tunisian defence, smashing into the face of a diving Ghazi Guidara, the African vice champions were off again at 21-16.
The defence of libero Meana and a looping set from Orduna opened the way for Quiroga to score another eye-catching point, and Argentina closed out the opening frame 25-19 as the Tunisian attack faltered.
Tunisia tried to step up the pace in the second set, and scored some clean winners through Noureddine Hfaiedh on both sides. However, the positioning of Argentine libero Meana on the base line was perfect to stem the Tunisian attacks and spark a counter, and his teammates profited in all areas.
A crashing block by Bilel Ben Hassine on Quiroga gave Tunisia a one-point lead, 8-7, at the first TTO, and the teams stayed neck and neck as the set progressed with plenty of power spiking and quick rallies. Argentina led 16-15 at the second TTO.
After Jouini had brought the scores level, Tunisia changed setter, Jerbi for Guidara, but coach Giacobbe was still not happy and took his team off for a TO when they fell behind 18-16.
On the restart, Milinkovic served two straight aces for 20-16, and Stepanenko swatted one over at the net for 21-17. Quiroga again displayed his athletic leap and spiking skills to move Argentina further ahead, before Milinkovic brought up set point at 24-19 with a flashing spike from deep, following his own controlled reception of a fierce Guidara serve.
Quiroga ended it on the right, 25-21, 2-0 Argentina.
Argentina had recorded five service points in the first two sets, three of them from Milinkovic, and Garcia fired in two more early in the third to hand his team a 5-2 lead. There was no surprise when Tunisia went off for a hasty TO.
Tunisia returned with improved blocking and tighter defence all round, and when Karamosly blocked an Argentine attack and moved his team ahead 11-10, Argentina took a TO.
A flying dig from libero Amine Besrour led to another Tunisia point on an Argentine attack error, and the Africans were now in the match. Kaabi underlined this point with a pounding winner on the right for 14-12.
Needing to raise their game quickly, Stepanenko pulled the South Americans level 14-14 with a service ace, and there was only one point in it -- 16-15 Tunisia -- at the second TTO.
Guidara returned one Argentine attack with a header -- not that he knew too much about it -- leading to a Tunisia point, and when the Africans led 20-17 Argentina took a TO.
Karamosly stopped an Argentine recovery with a smashing winner at the net for 21-19, and Kaabi and Jouini powered the Africans to the third set, 25-23.
In the fourth set, Aschemacher served two consecutive aces to hand his team an early advantage, and good work by Quiroga on the left took Argentina into the first TTO ahead 8-5.
The Tunisian spiking remained aggressive and accurate, with Hfaiedh, Kaabi and Jouini taking it in turn to smash clean hits through the Argentine defence.
When Garcia fired another service ace for 14-10 Argentina, daylight was beginning to appear, and Argentina still led by three, 16-13, at the second TTO.
Garci returned to the Tunisia attack but Milinkovic met him with a block point, and when Garcia moved Argentina to 18-14, Tunisia took a TO.
Jouini finished off a dizzying rally to close the gap to 20-19, forcing Argentina to take a TO, and the match continued with ferocious spikes and lightning digs that mesmerised the spectators.
Quiroga brought up two match points at 24-22, and Milinkovic finished it 25-23 on the right, 3-1.


Bulgaria wins against Egypt
Matsumoto, Japan, November 19, 2007 — Wild-card Bulgaria beat African champions Egypt in four sets in the teams’ second match in Pool B of the men’s World Cup on Monday.
The Bulgarians, third-place finishers at the 2006 World Championships, won 25-19, 25-18 23-25, 25-18 at Matsumoto City General Gymnasium and improved to 2-0. Egypt dropped to 0-2.
Martin Stoev’s men were made to work hard for their victory as 23-year-old Elnaeim Ahmed Abd (the name is Salah on his shirt) spiked with authority well beyond his years, but Bulgaria proved too tough courtesy of the excellent attack of man of the match Todor Aleksiev, Matey Kiziyski and Vladimir Nikolov.

Bulgaria headed into the first technical timeout with an 8-6 lead, the highlights of the nascent stages being the solid spiking of Kaziyski and Vladimir Nikolov.
Salah on the right was matching the Bulgarians spike-for-spike, though, as the Egyptians tried to keep tabs on their opponents.
The Bulgarians kept edging forward, though, and reached the second TTO 16-11 ahead, Boyan Yordanov’s towering block taking them into the break.
Kaziyski, continuing his scintillating form of the previous day, walloped in a cracking ace that sliced through the Egyptians and made it 19-13 before Aleksiev thrashed in a spike from the left as Bulgaria reached 20 points.
Salah was still popping up on the right to crack in his own howitzers and the Egyptians managed to cut the lead to three.
Unfortunately for Egypt, not long after Mohamed Elnafrawy’s long serve made it 24-18 and Salah’s spike from the right slammed into the net to give the set to Bulgaria.
Bulgaria continued their dominance into the second set and hit the first TTO 8-4 ahead, with Aleksiev’s ace the standout point of the opening stages although there was also a silky point from Hristo Tsvetanov, who bamboozled the Egyptian blockers with a cushioned dink.
Salah showed his delicate side as well when he tipped over to cut the lead to two at 13-11, but the Bulgarians continued to keep their noses in front and went into the second TTO 16-13 ahead after Kaziyski’s spike proved too hot to block.
Bulgaria moved further ahead to 19-15 and Egpyt head coach Zakaria Ahmed called a timeout to regroup the troops. Moments later, a Nikolay Nikolov serve proved too strong and it was timeout number two for Egypt, the score 22-17 to Bulgaria.
Nikolov next serve went straight through Egypt courtesy of a net deflection that flatfooted them and Bulgaria were two points from the second set. Yordanov’s ace brought set point and a long wide spike from Abdalla Ahmed wrapped things up.
Egypt managed to sneak into the first TTO of the third set one point ahead after Aleksiev’s long serve and the North Africans were definitely not going down without a fight. They maintained the one-point lead by the second TTO came about.
The Bulgarians quickly turned around the deficit to lead 20-18 before a block from Ossama Bekheit made it 20-19 and a Salah spike special put Egypt ahead at 21-20.
Things were looking up for Egypt.
Mohamed Badawy smashed in a spike to make it 23-21 Egypt and soon it was set point the underdogs. Yordanov saved one with a timely spike but captain Hamdy Awad (the name is Elsafi on his shirt) hammered in a spike from the left to give Egypt a lifeline. 2-1 Bulgaria.
Abdalla Ahmed showed some fancy footwork to volley the ball, albeit in vain, at the start of the fourth set but there was no doubt about the effect of his huge serve that powered Egypt into the first TTO one point in front, Aleksiev probably wishing he hadn’t got in the way of the fizzing ball.
Bulgaria came back, though, and went into the second TTO two points in front after Vladimir Nikolov smashed in a spike on the left and then they extended their lead quickly to 21-16, triggering a TO called by Egypt.
The Bulgarians were not going to lose this site, though, and closed out the match when Salah showed his inexperience to serve long and then spiked wide.