At the World Volleyball Championship, there are two days left before the semi-finals. The Russian team, having secured a good point difference with confident victories over the teams of Argentina and Puerto Rico, will now converge in an in-person dispute with the main competitors for a place in the four - the Poles.
The time of sensations in the championship seems to be left behind. The teams that made a noise in the first group tournament are now scanned by the rivals, and the favorites no longer intend to give them points. In groups E and F, four applicants for reaching the semifinals were clearly identified. In Hiroshima, these are the national teams of Bulgaria, Brazil, Italy and France, in Sendai - the teams of Serbia and Montenegro, Poland, Russia, as well as the hosts of the tournament.
At the same time, leaders solve their local problems. Serbs, for example, who did not yet know defeats in the Japanese world championship, have nothing to worry about, and their coach Igor Kolakovich, without a twinge of conscience, gives the leading players an opportunity to rest. In one set, the Balkan team gave the national teams of Puerto Rico and Argentina, which are no longer participating in the fight for medals, but so what? Serbia is waiting for the outcome of the confrontation between the Poles and the Russians - only after this match will the task for the last round, for the match with the same Poland, become clear. It is possible that even in the event of a defeat, the Serbian team will take one of the first two places in the group.
But the Russian team in fights with the same rivals needed to win as large as possible in order to improve additional indicators that can still play a role. The Russians carefully studied the game of opponents and managed to weaken the attacking potential of two Latin American teams. The actions of the blockers were focused on Marcos Milinkovich in the first case and Hector Soto in the second. As a result, both Argentina and Puerto Rico suffered their biggest losses in the tournament, and Soto, who was used to gaining 30 points per game, this time limited to 11.
“For those who are not familiar with the formula of the tournament,” said the head coach of the Russian national team Zoran Gayich after the match with Puerto Ricans, “it might have seemed that we won an easy victory. And those who know, it is clear that the struggle is for every point. It is difficult to maintain concentration when the score is, say, 22:15, but we collectively spent the ending of each set and achieved an acceptable result. ”
In the second and third installments, the team of Carlos Cardona at first managed to seize the leadership, but already by the first technical break, the Russians came forward in the long run. And then they confidently increased their advantage. As a result, the difference between the points scored and lost for the Russian team is now better than for the Poles, who have one more victory. However, the Polish team must be beaten in any case - otherwise, the medals of the World Cup will have to be forgotten for four years. You should also not discount the Japanese, with whom Gayich wards will play on the last day of group tournaments. The last remaining Asian team in the championship retains the fourth position in the group E table and also still has a chance to reach the semifinals. True, every victory goes to her at the cost of incredible exertion. Take a look at the result of the match Japan - Tunisia: after losing the first two sets, the hosts pulled out a victory in the next two on their teeth and finally broke the resistance of the Africans only in a tie-break.
In group F, the denouement is also ahead. The national team of Bulgaria goes without losses, in Brazil, Italy and France - one defeat. The French almost pulled themselves out of the number of applicants for medals, bringing the matter to the fifth game in a match with the US team, but still squeezed an opponent. In the remaining fights - with the Bulgarians and Italians - the finalists of the last World League draw cannot afford more misfires. Those, in turn, not easily coping, respectively, with Germany and Cuba, also count on success in the decisive games. But they still have to play against Brazil, which, sensationally losing to the French, seems to have taken up the matter seriously.
World Volleyball Championship. Men. Japan
2nd group stage
Group E (Sendai)
Puerto Rico - Serbia and Montenegro - 1: 3 (18:25, 23:25, 25:20, 23:25)
Argentina - Russia - 0: 3 (18:25, 20:25, 14:25)
Japan - Canada - 3: 1 (23:25, 25:21, 25:17, 25:22)
Poland - Tunisia - 3: 0 (25:22, 25:18, 25:23)
Puerto Rico - Russia - 0: 3 (20:25, 16:25, 15:25)
Argentina - Serbia and Montenegro - 1: 3 (18:25, 16:25, 26:24, 17:25)
Japan - Tunisia - 3: 2 (23:25, 23:25, 25:22, 25:23, 15: 6)
Poland - Canada - 3: 0 (25:21, 25:17, 25:17)
(And P)
1. Serbia and Montenegro 5 5 0
2. Poland 5 5 0
3. Russia 5 4 1
4. Japan 5 4 1
5. Puerto Rico 5 1 4
6. Canada 5 1 4
7. Argentina 5 0 5
8. Canada 5 0 5
Group F (Hiroshima)
Brazil - USA - 3-0 (25:19, 25:18, 25:23)
France - Czech Republic - 3: 0 (25:19, 25:23, 25:18)
Germany - Italy - 0: 3 (23:25, 22:25, 16:25)
Cuba - Bulgaria - 0: 3 (22:25, 18:25, 20:25)
Brazil - Czech Republic - 3: 0 (25:22, 25:20, 26:24)
France - USA - 3: 2 (17:25, 25:12, 24:26, 25:17, 15:11)
Germany - Bulgaria - 1: 3 (22:25, 25:23, 20:25, 18:25)
Cuba - Italy - 1: 3 (20:25, 15:25, 25:23, 15:25)
( And P)
1. Bulgaria 5 5 0
2. Brazil 5 4 1
3. Italy 5 4 1
4. France 5 4 1
5. Germany 5 2 3
6. USA 5 1 4
7. Czech Republic 5 0 5
8. Cuba 5 0 5
MIKHAIL MELNIKOV