Tuesday evening at the Palmeira hall, around 500 spectators witnessed an incredibly uncertain match. Around 10:30 PM, the winner was still not known. With two sets to one for the home team, 29 – 28 in the 4th set, the main referee awarded the victory to Nice on a net block. The public and players rejoiced, but the second referee called a fault on the blue and yellow team. The referee seemed to finally give the point to Tourcoing, but the Nice bench indicated that the end of the match had already been signaled. This was followed by long minutes of waiting, each club trying to influence the referees. The men in white fled the hall, the audience had already left the stands. The score seemed definitive. Léonard Baric, coach of NVB, indicated that for him, the match was over: “the referee blew the final whistle.” The score will remain as it is, but Tourcoing has filed a protest.
“We gave it our all”
An ending that leaves a bad feeling for captain Rajko Jokanovic, who was excellent last night: “it’s a bit annoying because we did good things, we gave it our all, but the outcome is a bit ugly.” Because before the end-of-match incident, Nice played and won in style. An epic first set, extended and won by NVB 31 – 29. Present in all areas of the game, like Damiao, incredible at smashing, the blue and yellow team displayed unbreakable morale. In the second set, total control by the home team, although they got a scare towards the end (26 – 24). Fatigue set in during the 3rd set, and Léonard Baric rotated his key players to give club-trained youngsters some playtime. Nice logically conceded (21 – 25) and refocused for the last set. An incredible last set which Nice won 30 to 28. See you in Lyon on April 1st and 2nd for the semi-finals and maybe a French Cup final.
