Betim, Brazil, October 19, 2016 - Although Tala’ea El-Geish could show a better face than Tuesday, they were meant to face defending champions Sada Cruzeiro, which played at their best to grab a semifinals spot. Nevertheless, coach Elshemerly and captain Atia found the bright side of the game.
Rashad Atia, Tala’ea El-Geish captain: “Today we played a much better match than our first. We faced a very strong team, one of the best in Brazil and in South America. For the next match, we will think about this performance to get a win - a historical win for our team and for African volleyball.”
Sherif Elshemerly, Tala’ea El-Geish coach: “It’s never easy to play against the champion. Of course, they are a high-level team and for us it was a challenge to play well. I think we could do it on some periods of the game, but we lost concentration when their serves made heavy damage on us. I hope tomorrow we can win our first match in this competition.”
William Arjona, Sada Cruzeiro captain: “It was a good game, considering they put us under some difficult moments. We had more errors than we should, which makes the other team to grow and leaves you much more vulnerable to that. We have alternated good and bad moments - we need to fix that quickly as things will be more challenging from now on. But we’re on the right track and I hope we can keep growing.”
Marcelo Méndez, Sada Cruzeiro coach: “I’m very happy about qualifying to the next round. I’m aware that we have our ups and downs, but I think it’s normal and we can improve our game. There are many interesting things I’ve seen on the team, many good aspects, so now it’s time to develop those things and hopefully keep advancing until the final match.”