Without a doubt, he was one of the protagonists of Olympiakos in the grand qualifier to the final of the Challenge Cup against Panathinaikos.

THE Raphael Kumentakis He was probably the most consistent player for the red-whites in both games and he also played his part in turning the tide.

“Rafa” spoke to Sportish about the great victory of the Red and Whites, the hot time afterwards in Greece and Europe and about the reception at Rentis.

Our discussion could only begin with the fight. “I want to watch the game again to get a clear picture. We were certainly efficient in the serve-block-defense part, which is the element of a good team, and I think that’s where it was conveniently judged. We played with our backs to the wall most of the time and showed that we really want it“, was Koumendakis’ first comment on the match.

Of course, not everything was rosy for Olympiacos. The Red-Whites lost the first set and that pinned their backs against the wall because if they lost one more it would mean their elimination.

“Playing with your back against the wall and facing a good opponent like Panathinaikos reduces the margin for error. You can’t think of many things. You have to think about each ball one by one and get to the end of the path or as far as possible. We did the first one, we got to the end of the street“ he said characteristically.

Of course, we also focused on the service part as the Red-White Panathinaikos caused a lot of problems and essentially turned the tide in their favor.

“Panathinaikos is strong at the net. It’s his weapon. She has a lot of good players and if you don’t hit her serve you’re doomed to lose. What we actually achieved was twofold. On the one hand we pulled Panathinaikos off the net and on the other hand we showed our own block defence“ emphasized the Greek extreme.

Raphael Koumentakis is one of those people who has received a lot of criticism in the past and when we pointed it out to him, he was clear: “I don’t believe. I’m a professional and I always play for the colors and jersey I wear. Criticism is welcome, but doesn’t affect me. Everyone will always have something to say.

I’m happy for my teammates because we showed character. Aside from the competitive parts of the game, you have to show character to win such a game“.

We made a step, but everything is the final

Olympiacos leaves the Amarousi match and goes one step further. Olympiacos is in for a hot period with all titles being judged, both domestically and internationally.

For Raphael Koumendakis this is the most important thing: “We made a step, but everything is the final. Certainly the games with Panathinaikos have their peculiarities, but what counts is the final. If we don’t win the final, we haven’t done anything.

We will find Panathinaikos ahead of us in other finals and those games will count in the end. We should be thinking about the final, not how we’re going to win the semifinals. What matters are the finals.”

Continuing our conversation about the near future, Rafa stressed: “In general, a lot is judged during this period. We had the two semifinals with Panathinaikos. We have the game with Finikas in Syros for the cup, that’s also difficult. The League Cup final with Panathinaikos, the championship playoffs.

It’s a time when we constantly have to prove things. We have to look at each game individually to make our money at the end“.

Of course we couldn’t avoid asking him about the final with Maccabi. Raphael Koumentakis said about these games: “I don’t have a picture of Maccabi. I’m sure they will be a good team to reach the final. Now we will calm down as much as possible because we also have the championship derby with Panathinaikos and when it comes.” we will analyze these games with Maccabi”.

It’s important that the second final is at home with us

After learning first-hand the importance of the second game, we couldn’t help but ask him that the second final will be played in Greece.

“It’s something that can play a crucial role. I don’t know what to expect from Maccabi but a second game in Greece. The second games are the ones that really carry more weight than the first.

Of course you also have to be serious in the first game and bet on winning because it gives you a boost, but that alone is not enough. It doesn’t decide if you pass or win a race. The second game is the most important.

To win a match like the one against Panathinaikos you also need luck. You can’t beat Panathinaikos in four sets. Of course we have the skills, but luck is also part of it.

The same applies to the second final with Maccabi. We need both skill and luck to achieve victory‘ said the Greek winger from Olympiakos.

Our final question related to the Red and Whites’ reception by the team’s fans at Melina Merkouri, with Raphael Koumendakis emphasizing: “Thanks, people. We know we upset them at Rentis because the stadium was full. For us, the world is the seventh player and our strength. We want to have him in every game. His presence on the pitch is crucial.

EI hope we won it because what we lost the most was the fans. But that’s sports. The sports fan has to understand that, support his team and come to the stadium.”.