Europe
Latina heartbroken in Istanbul
FENERBAHÇE GRUNDIG ISTANBUL – ANDREOLI LATINA 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-17) – FENERBAHÇE GRUNDIG ISTANBUL : Dogan, Tendar, Basaran 2, Marshall 12, Eksi 5, GÜnes, Marques Fonteles 9, GÖk 4, Miljkovic 19, Toy 1, Kilic (L). DNP Soares Alves. Coach. Castellani.
ANDREOLI LATINA : Candellaro 4, Rossini (L), Gitto, Sottile 1, Michalovic, Skrimov 7, Verhees 5, Noda 7, Starovic 16, Fragkos 2. DNP Tailli, Paris. Coach. Simoni.
MVP Ivan Miljkovic
Fenerbahce won the Challenge Cup. Defeated at the tie-break in Italy, they turned things around at home with authority. For the second consecutive season, Latina has to surrender against a Turkish side in a European Cup final. This is the third European Cup conquered by a Turkish club: there was Smirne who took the Challenge Cup in 2009 and Ankara who won the CEV cup last season at the expense of Latina.
Without Simon (ankle) and Gitto who just past the fitness test at the last second, Latina was not hundred percent to face such a strong side like Fenerbahce. MVP Miljkovic led the Turkish side with 19 points and 60% in attack.
Gianrio Falivene (President Andreoli Latina): “All the problems we had in building this team emerged. It’s disappointing to lose two consecutive finals. But at least we had a top season in Europe, we’ll keep working. We all know how the Turkish fans are, they never stop singing and pushing their side, a choreography that gives you the shivers”.
Daniele Sottile (Andreoli Latina): “They put us under pressure from start to finish. They never let us any opportunity to get back in the game. We really wanted to win, but I have to admit that they deserved to win. We had a splendid run, at least in the cup, and we have to be proud of it”.
Dario Simoni (coach Andreoli Latina): “They were definitely stronger tonight, we did everything we could but that was not enough. We must be proud of having reached the final and won the first leg. We should not think of this season as a failure because getting that far, and beating such champions in the first leg was something special”.
Fabio Soli (Ass.coach Fenerbahçe Grundig Istanbul): “A superb victory in front of a packed arena, which we don’t have in the league. Credit to Latina for making it hard for us in the first leg. We had to express our best volleyball tonight to come out on top”.
CHALLENGE CUP PAST WINNERS
The Challenge Cup was born in 2007, it substituted the CEV cup as the third European Cup.
2007/08 Cimone Modena
2008/09 Arkas Izmir (TUR)
2009/10 RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia
2010/11 Lube Banca Marche Macerata
2011/12 Tytan Azs Czestochowa (POL)
2012/13 Copra Elior Piacenza
2013/14 Fenerbahçe Grundig Istanbul (TUR)
