The defeat of Jastrzębski Węgiel in the final. Polish champions beaten to zero in Turkey

This is certainly not what the fans, players, training staff and all people associated with Jastrzębski Węgiel imagined, the final of the Champions League on May 5, 2024. Itas Trentino, who did not manage to reach even the league podium in the Italian league (eventually fourth place), defeated the PlusLiga gold medalists in three sets.

The final of the Champions League was at stake, but the Italian team that day was better in virtually every element, effectively dispelling Jastrzębski Węgiel's thoughts of historical success in the most important European club volleyball competition.

A lesson in effective volleyball for Jastrzębski Węgiel

The final game for success in the Champions League at the end of the 2023/24 season lasted exactly 83 minutes. Itas Trentino had a lot of arguments on the pitch that day, and Jastrzębski Węgiel's weakness was surprising. Practically throughout the entire match, the Polish champions were the team chasing their opponents. Coach Marcelo Mendez's team cannot be denied ambitious attempts to fight back, but it does not seem that even if they played equally at the end of each set, Jastrzębski Węgiel would be able to turn the match to their advantage.

The French duo certainly didn't have their day. Benjamin Toniutti was lost at times, unable to properly read his rivals, who had clearly learned their lesson about their PlusLiga opponents. In addition, Jean Patry, an attacker who charmed his game for most of the season, said a sad goodbye to Jastrzębski Węgiel.

On the other hand, Tomasz Fornal, the best scorer in the match on both sides (19). A receiver who was responsible for long stretches of the team's offensive play. However, you can't win the Champions League finals with only one functioning wing.

Alessandro Michieletto and Kamil Rychlicki led Itas Trentino to success

On the other hand, it is worth appreciating how well the Trentino team played. The Italian rival showed his best possible face. Alessandro Michieletto, 211 cm tall, a great Italian volleyball talent, the best scorer on the winning side (16 points). In addition, Kamil Rychlicki, who was gaining momentum from point to point, eventually finishing many important balls.

Riccardo Sbertoli was also a real director. The playmaker returned from injury, just like another representative of the world champions, Daniele Lavia. Marko Podrascanin? Serbia is like wine, the older it is, the better. He showed several times what effective blocking and the center's alertness were like to his vis-a-vis, Norbert Huber.

Itas won 3-0, in sets 25:20, 25:22 and 25:21. Thus, the Italian club achieved its fourth triumph in the history of the Champions League. And the Jastrzębie team will have to wait at least another year for their premiere.