All smiles for coach Vladimir Alekno as Zenit Kazan started the tournament in the winning track
Betim, Brazil, October 18, 2016 - After a solid start for his side, Zenit Kazan head coach Vladimir Alekno pointed out the best for the team was to keep on moving all of the players, gaining rhythm for the rest of the competition.
Rashad Atia, Tala’ea El-Geish captain: “I think we did our best, because we faced such a strong team as Zenit Kazan. We prepared for this tournament during the last three months and despite the difference, I’m rather pleased with the effort and the level at some moments.”
Sherif Elshemerly, Tala’ea El-Geish coach: “As I underlined already, it’s our first time here, and we have also to face two of the best teams in the world, both aiming for the title - Zenit Kazan and Sada Cruzeiro. I felt it was a serious game for them and that was a sign of respect towards us. For ten of the players it was also their first game after five months. Considering that and the fact that we don’t usually play against these strong services, we have the key of the game.”
Andrey Ashchev, Zenit Kazan captain: “We tried to do our best today and I think we did it. I feel it was a good opener for us. We played in an aggressive way and we must keep on doing that from now on.”
Vladimir Alekno, Zenit Kazan coach: “The positive side of the match today was that all of the players could be on court and we could try some specific things for the rest of the tournament. The negative side was that, to be honest, it wasn’t much of a challenging game, we didn’t find much resistance. That’s something dangerous for upcoming matches as we will face stronger challenges.”
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