Brazil is in the semifinals of the volleyball men of the Tokyo Olympics. The selection qualified by beating Japan by 3 sets to 0, with partials from 25 to 20, 25 to 22 and 25 to 20, this Tuesday (3). The home team even thickened in the second set, but failed to maintain the level.
The semifinal will be the rerun of the only game lost by the national team in Tokyo, against Russia, on Wednesday (4), at 9:30 am (GMT). In the first phase, the Russians won easily, by 3 sets to 0.
Despite the score, the match was not of total Brazilian dominance in the three sets. After a start with some mistakes, Brazil took advantage of the lack of effectiveness of the opponents and had no difficulties in the first set. Growing a lot in the second half, Japan changed their game volume and gave a scare, threatening to draw.
To close the game, Brazil walked calmly for most of the third set. In the final stretch, he even let Japan respond, but managed to hold the victory still with ease, confirming his favoritism.
“We already had in mind that they were going to defend, having a very large backcourt volume, and we had the patience at the time of difficulty. We attacked a lot in the serve, it made their lives difficult”, said the opposite Wallace , after the game, to TV Globo.
The game
Brazil started with the attack turning balls, but without a good use. Mistakes at the start of the game kept Japan scoring and, when the opponents fit offensively, they managed to touch the scoreboard and increase the competitiveness of the match. In the final stretch of the set, however, the Brazilian team grew technically, imposing itself on the court and walking without fear to close.
Unlike what happened in the first set, it was Japan who led the score in most of the second half. With good game volume and the inspired pair of pointers, the Japanese easily turned balls. Brazil took a long time to get in tune and was looking for the score little by little, until it managed to minimize the errors and hit it offensively.
With the blockade and defense working better, Brazil reacted and turned already near the final stretch, also counting on a good streak of serves by Lucarelli, who forced Japan to make difficult receptions and miss the counterattack. In the final points, the Japanese tried to react, but Brazil maintained its superiority.
In the final set, Brazil was better at the beginning and opened a good margin of points without much difficulty. Japan took a while to get started, but they got to the scoreboard at a certain point, with good serves and swipes of the ball. Despite this, the Brazilian team responded in the best way, with a dominant attack, and closed the game, once again with some slack.
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