After watching on television the conquest of the League of Nations, still recovering from Covid-19, which led him to be intubated and hospitalized, Renan Dal Zotto returned in style to command the Brazilian men’s volleyball team. On the edge of the court, the coach saw his team not make a brilliant match, get scared in the first two sets, but beat Tunisia 3-0 in the debut of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“I’m very happy, of course, for the victory even with the team suffering a lot during the first two sets because of the anxiety, but the team got over it and it was really good afterwards. Now, speaking of me personally, I’m really happy because it was a really big battle to recover in record time and have the chance to be here. I’m not 100% yet, I’m still doing my recovery, but I’m able to do what needs to be done: be there guiding, vibrating, drawing attention or praising, whatever, I’m able to do that. Breathing is good, stamina is good, not for running a marathon, but for driving everything is fine”, said the coach after the match.
The players were also happy for the return of Renan Dal Zotto. Having the boss around again was another motivation for the debut. “We already had this strange feeling in the League of Nations, playing for him. It was a very delicate situation. And now that he’s there with us commanding everything, for the first time, thank God, we’re very happy because the championship is long and he deserves a lot”, said Douglas Souza.
But Renan had more work than he expected. Brazil didn’t have a good game especially in the first two sets and had precise times by the coach and also with the challenges called by him to recover and turn the scores. With Ben Tara playing very well, Tunisia managed to score 13-8 and only lost the lead on the scoreboard when the Brazilian team took the lead in 17-16. Even so, the duel remained tough until the end with the current Olympic champions closing only on 25 to 22.
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In the second set, again with Ben Tara as the highlight, Tunisia made life difficult for Brazil again. The score was 14-10 for the Africans when Renan Dal Zotto stopped the game. After the coach’s instructions, the Brazilian team returned to the court completely different and ran over Tunisia. The team scored 15 of 21 points in a row to finish 25 to 20.
“He lashes out. Guys, he’s 100%. It’s fine, really, don’t go wrong. He’s really full and we’re very happy with all that,” said Douglas Souza, who played a fundamental role in the team’s growth after Renan put him on the court.
“I have Douglas as a starter. If you have any problems with Lucarelli or Leal, he’s ready to play and if he needs to, he will be. The coolest thing is that he’s been coming in and doing the job all the time. It’s not easy to come from the bench, but he is playing very happy and gives another dynamic to the game”, praised Renan.
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After the scares in the first two sets, the planned massacre for the game only took place in the third round. Right away, Brazil shot on the scoreboard, scoring 5-1 right away. Tunisia didn’t even have time to try to react and the advantage was already nine points in 13-4. by 25 to 15.
At the end of the game, Wallace was the top scorer in Brazil with 13 points, followed by Douglas Souza, who started on the bench, but started very well, and Lucarelli, who scored ten. On the Tunisian side, Ben Tara turned 13.
CHECK THE COMPLETE PROFILE OF ALL PLAYERS IN BRAZIL
Lifters:
Bruninho (Modena/Italy)
Cachopa (Sada Cruzeiro)
Opposites:
Wallace (Sada Cruzeiro/Brazil)
Allan (Kuzbass Kemerovo / Russia)
Pointers:
Leal (Modena/Italy)
Lucarelli (Trentino/Italy)
Douglas Souza (Taubate)
Mauricio Borges (Vibo Valentia / Italy)
Centrals:
Mauricio Souza (Mines)
Lucão (Campinas/Brazil)
Isac (Sada Cruzeiro/)
Libero:
Thales (Taubate)
LIVE: Brazil x Tunisia – Brazilian men’s volleyball team – Tokyo Olympic Games 2020
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