Suwon, Korea, May 30, 2015 - France seemed to be struggling as much with their own errors as with their opponents as they edged past Korea 3-1 (28-30, 25-23, 25-18, 25-16) to open their 2015 World League campaign.
The match started as expected with France earning an 8-5 lead. The visitors quickly led Korea right back into the game, however, with the many errors made by their stars, Earvin Ngapeth and Antonin Rouzier. A thrilling finish to the set saw a controversial referee call give Korea a set point, which they capitalized on to snatch the opener 30-28.
The second set also started close, with France unable to build a convincing lead. But Korea were unable to react when Antonin Rouzier finally stepped up his game after the first technical time-out. His powerful serves and smart spikes led France to a 22-15 lead, but another slew of errors from the visitors meant they barely managed to close out the set at 25-23. The following set was a quick affair as France got in front quickly and never took their foot off the gas pedal.
The fourth and final set saw a dominant performance from Earvin Ngapeth lead France to a quick victory. The visitors will be happy with the result today, but their game leaves a lot to be desired. Korean fans, on the other hand, will be dissapointed with their team's deflated performance in the final two sets. It seems that both teams have plenty to work on before Sunday's rematch.
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