Russian side Belogorie Belgorod staged a dramatic comeback in the second-leg of the two-leg CEV Volleyball Cup final to secure their 6th all-time European cup. This is the 2nd time they’ve won the CEV Cup, the 2nd-tier European club title behind the Champions League, having last won in 2009. They’re also 3-time winners of the Champions League (2003, 2004, 2014) and in 2002 won the 3rd-tier CEV Challenge Cup.
After Belgorod won the first leg of the matchup 3-0, Turkish side Ziraat Bankasi Ankasa rushed out to a 2-0 lead in the rematch on their home court. That put them one set away from forcing a tie-breaking golden set, but there began Belgorod’s comeback. Belgorod would battle back from the brink in the 3rd set to win 28-26, and then clinched the title in the 4th 15-21. With title in hand, they wound up taking the match by winning the 5th and final set. The final score was 3-2 in favor of Belgorod (21-25, 24-26, 28-26, 25-21, 15-11).
The emotional finish was a fitting end to the legendary career of Sergey Tetyukhin, who is retiring at the end of this season. He gave advice after the win to do what you love and love what you do.
“The main rule is you have to love what you do,” Tetyukhin said. “This is the main rule for any activity. If your heart is in what you do, if you are ready to give your all to what you do, then you will get the proper result. We can talk about many things, which will be not as meaningful. However, for me this principle is the most important one. Love what you do and do what you love.”
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