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The first match of the Qualifier tournament in Pool B set the tone for exciting days ahead as Israel and Austria locked horns in the opening fixture. Both teams showed great motivation and were breathing down each others’ necks. However, the Austrian side were more precise in the decisive moments and could finish all the important balls in their favour, starting on a very positive note in the competition with a 3-0 victory. In what was the international debut for head coach Radovan Gacic at the helm of the Austrian national team, his players could get the best out of the game.

• Both Israel and Austria started good in the match, with equal performance on attack and playing a cat-and-mouse game

• Key moment in the match was the change of the lead in the first set with Maximilian Landfahrer contributing the most in these moments and helping his teammates to keep up the positive spirit

• Although Austria performed better on the serve and block, they also let many reception errors affect their game

• Tamir Hershko from Israel recorded 17 for the loss of his tam, while for the winners Alexander Berger added 15.

On Wednesday, Austria meet pool favourites of Bulgaria at 19.00 local time. The head coach of Austria already has acknowledged the strong sides of the opponent but also believes his team can surprises each team.