Belgium needed only an hour to beat Spain 3-0

On Friday afternoon Spain lost to Belgium 0-3 (20-25, 18-25 and 12-25) in the first match of Pool K of qualifications to 2014 FIVB Women's World Championship in Lodz.

On Friday afternoon Spain lost to Belgium 0-3 (20-25, 18-25 and 12-25) in the first match of Pool K of qualifications to 2014 FIVB Women's World Championship in Lodz. 

The score swayed from side to side throughout the first set, both teams took series of points at a time (first 5-2 for Belgium, but later 10-6 for Spain). Belgium played very well in block making it difficult for the opponents to break through and after a fierce fight they were the ones celebrating victory in the first set 25-20. 

In the second set the Belgians carried the momentum and quickly jumped ahead (11-5, 16-8 ath the second TTO). They remained on top throughout the set and easly picked it up at 25-18, setting thr overall score at 2-0. 

At the beginning of set 3 the score stayed close, but Belgium once again took control and jumped to four-point advantage at 10-6. They remained in charge, not letting Spain catch up with them (16-9 at the second TTO, then 21-10). Spain head coach, Pascual Saurin, made a lot of substitutions in the set, but those did not change the image of the play. Belgium was too strong as they romped into victory 25-12 in the set and 3-0 in the entire match, after only 65 minutes. 

“It was a difficult game in many ways, said Belgium head coach Gert Vande Broek. “It was our first official match after the European Championship. Many people expect a lot from us, we are under a lot of pressure from the fans and the media. Spain have a new team, we didn't know their technique and strategy. We made a lot of mistakes in the first set, but later we corrected some things and took control. The score, 3-0, does not mean it was easy. Spanish team took risks and made it difficult for us.” 

On Saturday Belgium will face Switzerland, while Spain will take on the hosts, Poland.