Nikolov brothers boost Bulgarians to crack at first World crown
Bulgaria is within another win of turning its dream FIVB Men’s World Championship run into a Cinderella finish after it reached the final for the first time in 55 years with a 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22 nipping of Czechia in the knockout semifinal on Saturday, at Mall of Asia Arena.
Aleksandar Nikolov played the best game of his life with 31 points off 27 kills, three aces and a block to get a shot at Bulgaria’s first-ever World Championship in its first gold medal game since its runner-up finish in 1970, facing either defending champion Italy and runner-up Poland in a winner-take-all final on Sunday, at 6:30 p.m.
The 21-year-old outside spiker and his brother Moni, who had 43 excellent sets and nine points, were surprised to see their parents watching their game.
“It’s very special, they actually surprised [us]. I didn’t know they were coming,” said Aleksandar. “I’m happy they got to see this game live, it’s probably the most important and the best game of my life, so I thank them for always supporting me.”
Vladimir, a former Bulgarian national team player, was a proud father and former member, seeing the program assuring itself a podium finish in volleyball’s grandest stage since their bronze medal finish in 2006.
“I’ve had a pretty successful career [but] I never had a chance to play in the final of the World Championship. So it’s very special,” said the 2012 London Olympian.
Moni, the 18-year-old setter, offered their continuous rise to their family, hoping to win the first-ever World Championship crown for their country.
“I hope my dad and my mom feel proud of the team, of us, especially me and my brother, because they’ve raised us to be where we are today, and they deserve a lot of credit,” he said.
“I’m super happy for this and I think we deserve to be here, so tomorrow, we’re gonna go out and play.”
Besides the brothers, Bulgaria also got the goods from Aleks Grozdanov, who chipped in 12 points, as well as Asparuh Asparuhov and Martin Atanasov, who chipped in with 10 and eight points, respectively.
Czechia still has a chance for a bronze on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Lukas Vasina led the Czechs with 17 points. Jan Galabov had 13, while Patrik Indra was limited to 10.
“We’re really happy. This [World] Championship was very strange because in the world today, there are five teams that are better than Bulgaria,” Vladimir said. “These teams are Italy, France, Poland, Brazil and Japan, and three out of five teams are not here. So when this happened, when Brazil was eliminated, we started to dream.”
“I’m proud of Team Bulgaria, not only about my kids,” he said. “I’m proud because they worked hard, they worked really hard. They dreamed, and they dreamed big. This final is probably the best thing they can achieve so far.”
