Hiroshima, Japan, October 11, 2019 - Poland claimed an emphatic 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-8) win over Australia at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup on Friday, coasting to a straightforward victory at Hiroshima Green Arena.
Poland coach Vital Heynen: “After the match I always say in two sentences to my players what I think about the match. Today I told them nothing, I was only applauding because my players did their job very, very well. I’m very satisfied. We played a very good game here, so I hope we can go on in the last three matches like this.”
Poland captain Michal Kubiak: “We played a really good game and we stayed focused from the very beginning until the end, and this is the most important thing. The coach managed the team well. He made a lot of changes and we still kept the level really high, so for me as the captain I’m really happy with that.”
Australia coach Mark Lebedew: “There’s not really very much to say about this match. Poland played a great match, they were really well prepared, they were really aggressive, they were really convinced to play their game and attack and never let the level drop. If we are serious we have a lot we can learn from this game. Unfortunately it wasn’t a good show for the spectators, but it was a great game from Poland and good luck to them for the rest of the tournament.”
On how he’d like his team to react in their next game against USA: “Obviously through our performances we’ve put ourselves in a tough position - not least of all the tough mental position of having to look ourselves in the mirror after this game. What I’m hoping is that the players will have a look at themselves in the mirror and understand some things about the game. How the game works, the technical lessons, the psychological lessons that were presented to us today, and that we come out in the next match and play with a different energy. USA is also playing for a medal, so they will be playing with the same focus as Poland today, which will be a great challenge for us.”
Australia player Samuel Walker: “We’re obviously very disappointed with the result. We went into the game with the goal of challenging them and trying to be really competitive, and I think we fell a bit short of that for extended periods of the match.”