Croatia vs. Estonia - Match Highlights | European Golden League Men 2024

Let's look at the Croatia roster, the 14-man roster for this final four weekend. Petar Visic is net efficiency at over 63 percent. Estonia not so great on the offensive end but Rene Tepan gets his underway with the first serve off the top of the net. And how about that for a swipe and score to start. Petar Visic putting it on a plate. Deceiving Visic on the other side of the net. He's set tandem attack for them. Isolation here but the defense comes out on top to have a one-man block on that far side. Estonia from two down to ahead now. Good serve, plenty of power. Well fielded and again Czurlicz comes back with force for Croatia. He has started superbly. Triple block off his serve on the prior point. They've put their foot firmly on the accelerator. Delicate, delightful tip to find the space in the defense. He's MVP in the vaulting league a couple of seasons ago and he does. He's moving to Belgium next season for the first time. Playing outside his home left. Visic is set, Czurlicz is hit. That's the golden combination in the golden league for Croatia as they seek their first ever gold in the end. So many times the set of players through the course of this tournament very resilient on the defensive end. What an isolation block. He's on his own on an island. Oh just in on the block. Lumos remember he did well coming in off the bench in a similar role as well for Estonia but again his run won't. What a piece of the top of the net. Didn't matter though. Didn't faze Estonia. It's the afternoon. See their team ahead in set two. Only four points away from tying this semi-final. Twisting three-meter line set off the top of the block. Back three-meter line hit. Buried just in front of the baseline. Knocking said Lacek and Petar Visic. It needed to be a tied up match at 23 or a couple of set points for Estonia. Big hit but an even bigger block. The whole set to sort it out. Estonia don't need a big run. They just need to every now and again chip away. They can't do that. But they need break points. Center hit three-meter line. Great position. Estonia on serve which is statistically a disadvantage in volleyball as opposed to the advantage it creates in tennis for example. That's why we call break points. Points one on serve. Lovely block. Croatia said Lacek. Look out in the backcourt. Perfect reception right onto the net. Come in and serve. Big point and a big point. That's a way to get rid of one of those set points. An emphatic way indeed. It's a big serve. The big deflection off the dig and a big attack from said Lacek in the three-meter line. He's got two of Estonia's three aces in the match so far. Jelic so so good. Chance for a first ever gold at this event. It is lashed to the backcourt by said Lacek. There's one back through said Lacek. Jelic denied and we are surely inevitably hurtling towards a decisive fifth set in this semi-final. Kacovic yet to ace in this match. Pipe bomb that explodes off the right hand of Tamaro onto the top of Croatia and ties this semi-final at 2-2. Mark Tamaro the top scorer for Estonia finishes the fourth set. Body blow delivered. Tough attack for Estonia here now. They have to dig their heels in on defense. That is not enough. Svanciga came in to serve superbly in the first set to help Croatia win it. That trick Petar Jelic. Can he provide the break to break Estonian hearts? No. The serve from the former gold medalist. The two-time gold medalist René Tepper. To the over and said Lacek has grown and grown throughout the course of this contest. Visic serving up an ace at such an important point. Estonia need to respond. Instead it's Croatia but it's off the mark. Fans and players let's have a look. Zalkovic to serve. Set. Hit. Block. And a place in the final for the first time in 11 years. Croatia will play for the gold medal again.