Earvin Ngapeth will probably never forget this incredible evening. The star of the Blues won Wednesday with his club Modena the first European Cup of his career, the CEV Cup (C2), after a completely stunning return final against the Belgians of Roselaere.
Ngapeth decisive in key moments
Heavily beaten in their hall in the first leg (0-3), the Italian team needed a miracle when they returned to Belgium on Wednesday, they accomplished it by winning by the same score (0-3: 25-27 , 22-25, 23-25) before winning the golden set (9-15). The sharp Turkish Adis Lagumdzija, stratospheric, was logically elected MVP (25 pts including 3 aces), but Ngapeth, less brilliant statistically (13 pts, 12/27 on attacks) was decisive in key moments with a successful counter at the end of the second set and a winning attack on the match point.
After the terrible frustration of his elimination in the round of 16 against Tours (1-3, 3-2) last year, the receiver-attacker has reconciled in the most beautiful way with the CEV Cup. He shares this title with his old French accomplice Nicolas Maréchal (only came into play on three services) and his coach Andrea Giani who is also coach of the Blues. But also with one of his best friends, the passer Bruno Rezende, who will have been one of the heroes of this coronation: the Brazilian gritted his teeth for four sets when he had severely twisted an ankle four days earlier.