Great match between the USA and Brazil in the Nations League

The blockbuster clash between Brazil and the United States did not disappoint when it comes to emotions. In Pasay, we could watch a five-set battle ending with an important victory for the American team.

The United States national team does not shine in this year’s  Nations League. The Americans went to the first tournament with a completely reserve squad, in the second they also had their problems, and during the competition in Pasay, they lost to Iran in a sensational way. There are many indications that the three-time winners of the competition may not be present in the final tournament this time.

Brazil doesn’t have to worry about advancing. The South American team shows a very good level during the competition, still remaining at the top of the classification. The Canarinhos seemed to be the favorites in Thursday’s clash. However, we expected great emotions after the match between the hegemons of world volleyball.

The Americans started the match better and showed their offensive strength from the very beginning. John Speraw’s players  were more effective in attack and did not hold back on serve, leading after Torey Defalco’s ace  7:4. A great start set the score for the United States, although Brazil quickly got into the game. The Canarinhos were close to catching up with their rivals several times, but better effectiveness in the first action and fewer own mistakes allowed the American team to stay in the lead and end the premiere with a 25:21 win.

The second part started with interesting exchanges and impressive attacks by both sides. This time, however, Brazil was the first to build a several-point advantage (11:8). Bernardo Rezende ‘s players  worked great in defense, countering their opponents’ shots and responding with effective counterattacks. In attack, the left wing worked very well, with Ricardo Lucarelli  and Lukas Bergmann scoring points  . The Canarinhos also added a few service aces. The Americans were unable to stop their opponents playing this way, losing the set to 18.

The next game brought a very even game. Both teams fought side by side for a long time, unable to build a higher advantage. We could watch this image until 14:14. Then, however, Garrett Muagututia appeared in the Americans’ ranks . This rotation brought the United States team a phenomenal series, ending with a lead of 19:14. At the end, the Brazilians tried to change the fate of the set, but the Yankees maintained a favorable result and won 25:21, regaining the lead in the match.

Brazil, facing the wall, started the fourth set with a score of 3-0. The driving force of the team was the strong and rejecting service and  Alan Souza , who was brilliant in the offensive . The United States managed to get closer to their rivals for a short while, but the Canarinhos immediately responded with another attack, increasing the advantage to five points (11:6). Despite the Brazilians’ high lead for most of the set, there was no shortage of emotions at the end, including those at the net. However, the Americans were unable to reverse the result and the winner had to be decided by a tie-break.

In the decisive game, the fans couldn’t complain about boredom. Both teams showed off impressive actions and fought evenly for a long time. However, before the change of sides, the United States representatives took a two-point lead and did not intend to give it up. In the second part of the set, the Americans took advantage of their opponents’ problems with organizing the game and increased their advantage on Maxwell Holt’s serves  (11:6). There was no turning point, and Torey DeFalco’s attack gave the American team an important win.

Brazil  – USA  2:3 (21:25, 25:18, 21:25, 25:22, 9:15)

Brazil: Alan, Fernando, Flavio, Isac, Lucarelli, Bergmann, Thales (libero) and Matheus, Mauricio, Darlan

USA: Anderson, Christenson, Holt, Averill, Muagututia, DeFalco, Shoji (libero) and Ensing