On Sunday, Hungary secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Austria in their final pool stage match of the men`s CEV European Silver League. The sets finished 18-25, 20-25, and 18-25. Playing at the Johann-Pölz-Halle in Amstetten, Coach Peter Nagy`s Hungarian team delivered a dominant performance, needing just 91 minutes to claim the win. This result secured Hungary the second position in the standings, earning them a place in the finals against group winners Sweden.
While Hungary celebrated their crucial win, the mood on the Austrian bench was one of disappointment. Head coach Radovan Gacic did not mince words:
Our worst game in the past five years. There was no energy, no fight. This performance was simply unacceptable.
Gacic further commented: “I said before the game: we can’t label matches as important or unimportant. Every game – especially at home – matters. Even if we were already out of contention, this must not happen.”
Austrian players also voiced their frustration. Outside hitter Noel Krassnig stated, “We let it slip. We definitely gave it a try, but maybe we underestimated them – especially since we played quite well against Sweden, unlike Hungary. Today, even the simple things didn’t work.”
For Austria, the top scorer was Lukas Glatz with 11 points, followed by Michael Czerwinski with eight. Hungary`s offensive leaders were Kristóf Horváth with 15 points and Kristóf József Szalai with 12.
In the final League Round standings, Sweden finished first with a perfect record of six wins. Hungary and Luxembourg both ended with five wins and one loss, but Hungary claimed second place and the final spot based on a superior match points ratio. Austria finished fourth among the eight participating nations with a balanced 3-3 record.
Torin Vale