The winner of the Men’s 2023 CEV Volleyball European Golden League is Türkiye! After an exciting five-setter, it was Türkiye who claimed the title, the trophy, and the gold medals, Ukraine is a runner-up.
Gold Medal Match, Türkiye vs Ukraine: 3-2 (14-25, 25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 15-6)
When looking at the first set, it looked like it was going to be an easy win for Ukraine. But we all know that nothing in volleyball is easy. The whole first set was going in favor of Ukraine and with 9-15 on the scoreboard, we were looking at an “easy” first set. There wasn’t much Türkiye could have done and the set ended by 14-25.
The second set then brought on a lot more excitement. Ukraine walked better into this one but Türkiye managed to equalize it and take the lead, but also a small advantage (18-15). Ukraine was fighting hard but this one was Türkiye’s and they closed it by 25-22.
The third set was completely played point-by-point whereas Türkiye was a bit in the lead and then Ukraine. But in the end, it was Türkiye who took another set by 26-24 and they were closer to the gold medal than their opponents. Nothing much different happened in the fourth set where it was once again played point-by-point. After all, this is the final match. But Ukraine was for a shade a better team and they closed this set by 22-25 which only meant that the fifth set is going to decide who is lifting the trophy.
Türkiye walked into the fifth set full of confidence and already had a six-point advantage (8-2) and it only grew they closed this set by 15-6 and the celebration on the court started because Türkiye is the new Golden #EuroLeagueM champion! Congratulations!