Germany Secures Unexpected Victory Over France in VNL Manila Match

MANILA — Germany delivered a surprising win against France in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Men’s Week 3, with a scoreline of 25-23, 25-27, 25-20, 25-23 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Gyorgy Grozer led the German team with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, including 18 attacks. This victory against the reigning Olympic champions France has ensured Germany’s qualification for the upcoming Paris Olympics. Lukas Maase and Moritz Reichert contributed significantly to the win, each adding 12 points to the team’s total. Tobias Krick and Tobias Brand also played pivotal roles, scoring 10 points each.

Germany’s coach, Michal Winiarski, expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress, attributing their strong performance to an excellent preceding week in Japan and the return of main players who had been absent. On the French side, Jean Patry was the top scorer with 20 points. Despite leading in the fourth set, France could not maintain their lead as Germany overturned a 21-19 deficit to eventually take the set and the match. France’s efforts to salvage the game tied the score at 23-23, but Germany clinched the final two points needed for victory.

In related events, the Slovenia-hosted VNL leg in Ljubljana saw Slovenia overpowering Argentina with scores of 25-23, 25-22, and 29-27, running concurrently with the Manila leg.