WARSAW, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cuban-born attacker Wilfredo Leon and Michal Kubiak led Poland to a 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-21) victory over France and a bronze medal at the European Men's Volleyball Championship in Paris.
Tipped as title favorites though, both teams have failed to live up to their expectations. Poland lost to Slovenia and the French team coached by Laurent Tillie was beaten by Serbia in the semifinals.
Leon and Earvin Ngapeth emerged as the most prolific players with 18 points.
The first set had been very tight before Leon nailed a spike to put Vital Heynen's team 1-0 ahead.
Poland kept the momentum in the second set although France played ambitiously.
Kubiak also contributed a lot to the victory. The Polish captain was rightly criticized following the semifinal defeat, but he bounced back and led the visiting team to the massive win.
"I can be satisfied with the performance of my players. We drew conclusions from the defeat against Slovenia. We are happy that we have a medal, but simultaneously I hope we will take first place at the Olympic Games next year," said Heynen after the match.
The final between Serbia and Slovenia will take place on Sunday.
