Author: Serg Atrakhov
The quarter-finals of the fifth edition of the FIVB Nations League was Brazil’s last match in the tournament. The team dressed in yellow and green had the chance to gain momentum in the first set, which could have changed the result. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. The Brazilians lost 3-0. Note that the final part of this year’s competition takes place in Poland, which is an additional factor in favor of the hosts.
This year, the fans had high expectations for Selesao. However, during the preliminary round, in which sixteen teams competed for eight places in the quarter-finals, Brazil’s performance was not brilliant. After playing 12 matches, the team was only in sixth place with 8 wins. Although they managed to secure a place in the playoffs, the quality of their play fell noticeably short of expectations. Unfortunately, his performance didn’t improve even in the quarter-finals. The first opponent in the knockout matches was the Polish team. In the qualifiers, this team came third (10 wins in 12 matches) and, in the head-to-head of the qualifiers, beat the Brazilians 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21).
During the quarter-finals, which took place in Gdansk, the first set was very tight, with both teams fighting hard. The Poles’ winning point caused a lot of controversy. But after watching the episode of Alan’s block using the VAR system, the judges ruled that the Brazilian was the last to touch the ball. Although the South Americans didn’t agree with this verdict, the set remained with Poland – 26-24. In the second set, the opponents made too many mistakes. However, Brazil failed to take advantage of these opportunities, while the Poles, despite not playing a flawless game, didn’t hesitate and secured a 25-21 victory. Recovering from a 2-0 defeat in sets is always a difficult task. Apparently, for the current Brazilian team, this is still unfeasible. With the support of the local fans, Poland easily won the third set 25-20.
As a result of the match, the most points for the Brazilian team were scored by Alan (15), and for the Polish team by Swivka (16).
1/4 final results
Poland – Brazil – 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-20)
Japan – Slovenia – 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-22)
Italy-Argentina – 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-14)
USA – France – 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 17-25, 24-26, 15-9)
Therefore, the semi-finals of the tournament will be contested by the teams that secured the top four places based on the results of the preliminary round:
USA (1) – Italy (3)
Japan (2) – Poland (4)
The Nations League is being held for the fifth time. In 2018 and 2019, the Brazilian team finished fourth, behind the USA and Poland, with a score of 3:0 in sets. The competition was not held in 2020, ensuring a one-year break that proved advantageous for the South Americans. In 2021, they won gold by beating Poland 3-0 in the final. In last year’s qualifiers, the Brazilians made it to the playoffs, but lost to the USA in the first round – 3:1.
It’s worth mentioning that the Brazilian women’s volleyball team had also advanced to the quarter-finals of the Nations League a week earlier. Unfortunately, they were beaten 3:1 by China. The Women’s Nations League was also held for the fifth time. Brazil’s results include 4th place in 2018 and three silver medals (2019, 2021, 2022).