The miracle did not happen for Nice, who were soundly defeated by Tours. The players from Nice can take some consolation in having reached the semi-finals.
The players of Nice will long regret not having been able to conclude the first leg. Leading by two sets to none, Mladen Kasic’s players let the match slip away before a return match in Tours’ territory that was one-sided. Robin Overbeeke, however, had ideally started the match on the Nice side with four consecutive aces (he finished the match with 15 points scored).
After narrowly losing the first set (25-23), the players from Nice lost their footing and were overwhelmed by the locals, losing the last two sets quite decisively (25-16, 25-17).
It’s worth noting that there was a world of difference between the two teams, with Nice having the smallest budget in the championship and Tours the highest. NVB has no reason to be ashamed of their season and will now have to work on rebuilding after the announced departure of Mladen Kasic (to Sète), and while awaiting the very probable departure of their Dutch star Robin Overbeeke, who is likely to be in demand given his remarkable season.
