The first set 25:21, the second even more convincingly, 25:19... It seemed that the Bulgarians would be an easy target for the American volleyball players, who were rushing towards the semifinals of the World Championship in Manila, in the large "Asia" hall.
And then - an unreal twist.
Bulgaria, who were not favorites before the match, came back into the game by winning the third set 25:17, there was little drama in the fourth - 25:22, and only in the fifth - 15:13, for an unreal turnaround for the Bulgarians and a place in the semifinals, the first since 2006.
Aleksandar Nikolov, son of the famous Vladimir Nikolov, shone with 29 points. Asparuh Asparuhov added 12, and Ilija Petkov 10.
The United States team's top scorers were Ethan Champlin with 17 and Jordan Evert with 15 points.
The rival in the semi-finals will be the Czech Republic, which made it to the top four at the World Volleyball Championship after 55 years, defeating Iran today.
In the second semi-final match, the teams of Poland and Italy will meet.
Bonus video:
