Germany clinched their second win at men’s sitting volleyball at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with a 3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18) win over Ukraine at North Paris Arena on Saturday.
Heiko Wiesenthal and Dominik Albrecht showcased their offensive firepower to secure the win, overcoming a resilient Ukrainian side. Wiesenthal and Albrecht top scored for Germany, contributing 19 and 18 points, respectively.
Francis Tonleu added 16 points, Alexander Schiffler and Thomas Renger had 12 and 10 points, respectively, to support the cause. Despite a valiant effort from Denys Bytchenko, who led Ukraine’s scoring, the team struggled to keep up with Germany’s strong offence.
Germany’s hitters were in top form, converting 65 out of 138 attack attempts, while Ukraine managed to score only 42 from the attack line. Though Ukraine had a slight edge in blocking, outscoring Germany 12-11, the Germans were superior from the service line, recording four aces to round off a solid victory.
Germany began the match with a strong performance, quickly seizing control of the first set. They surged ahead to a 10-4 lead, powered by Albrecht’s aggressive attacks and precise serving. Germany’s dominance continued as they extended their lead to 18-8, capitalising on a series of errors by Ukraine.
A key moment occurred when Albrecht’s powerful serve led to a reception error from Ukraine, pushing the score to 22-12. The set concluded with Germany firmly in command, as Albrecht sealed it with a serve that resulted in a Ukrainian set error, ending the set 25-14.
Germany started the match strong, quickly building a lead over Ukraine. Dominik Albrecht and Heiko Wiesenthal were instrumental in this early success, with Albrecht contributing several key attacks. The set saw Germany capitalising on Ukraine’s errors, particularly towards the end. The final point of the set was secured after a setting error by Oleksandr Drapak, allowing Germany to take the set 25-14.
The second set was more competitive, with Ukraine pushing back against Germany’s dominance. The set was tightly contested, with Germany holding a narrow lead for much of it. However, Ukraine took advantage of several errors by Germany, then pulled ahead and clinched the set 25-22.
Germany regained their form in the third set, establishing a lead early on. The set was characterized by strong serving and effective attacks. Ukraine struggled to keep up, and Germany maintained their lead throughout. The set ended 25-17 in favor of Germany, with Tonleu delivering the final attack point.
Germany took an early lead and maintained it. Ukraine attempted to fight back but could not overcome Germany’s consistent play. The final point of the match came from another attack by Tonleu that sealed the match victory at 25-18.
Photo: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj
