2022 was another sporting year to die for. Until New Year’s Eve, we take a look at the best Belgian shows. Today in 12th place: The Yellow Tigers perform in a thrilling World Cup and thrill Belgian sports fans once again.
Sports success, yes, but especially great experience. We will remember this from the Belgian performance in the last Volleyball World Cup.
Because for those who missed it: Yellow Tigers are on the rise again. This was also necessary.
It was a difficult period, both sporting and non-sporting. 2021 brought – to put it mildly – a mixed European Championship, and at the end of the year the hype surrounding national coach Geert Vande Broek. 2022 also did not start well with relegation from the UEFA Nations League.
But the Tigers were able to break this negative spiral in the World Cup. Whether on or off the field.
These were turbulent times for the Yellow Tigers and national coach Geert Vande Broek.
Stunts in the lion’s den
What is the best way to get out of a negative period in sports? Stunt victory of course. Preferably at the highest level. The World Cup in September in the Netherlands was the perfect opportunity to make that happen.
The smooth wins in the first group stage against Puerto Rico and a helpless Kenya were good training. Even the impossible task against favorites Italy brought positivity. The Tigers played world class for three series, only to logically end up succumbing to the rule of the strongest.
And then the fourth match: the Low Countries derby. In the lion’s den that is. There, of all places, the Tigers managed to make the ardent Dutch fans sing just a little less.
After two strong sets, our compatriots forgot to finish the third set. But in the fourth set, led by regular star Brett Herbots, the Belgians scored. An exciting victory at the highest level against shadow favorites Netherlands.
Exactly what this group needs.
A wave of enthusiasm
The strong match against Italy and the trick against the Netherlands did not only give the Yellow Tigers a boost. The home front has also begun to fully sympathize with our patriotic women in volleyball.
This wave of enthusiasm was also visible in the room. Only in the second group stage against major nations did the Belgians manage to compete at the highest level again several times.
Argentina simply went for the ax after another top-flight match. The Tigers were always able to pull off an upset in Group A against Japan and later finalists Brazil. However, no other trick was anymore possible, and they also eventually lost to the major country China.
It was an amazing experience for us.
So, there will be no quarter-finals for the Tigers, but of course it is a very good tournament. “It was an amazing experience for us. It’s a shame we couldn’t perform the stunts in the second round, but it’s definitely a successful World Cup,” Herbuts star summed up the tournament.
It is a successful World Cup indeed, especially since the volleyball flame is starting to reignite in sports-loving Belgium. This was perhaps the Yellow Tigers’ biggest win in this World Cup.
They will definitely be able to use this new enthusiasm. Next year, there will be the European Championships in our country and there will also be qualifying competitions for the Olympic Games.
A trip to Paris seemed like an impossible task for a long time, but who knows, maybe now it’s possible to achieve more?
