The quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympic men's volleyball tournament were held, with Russia, Brazil, Argentina, and France winning and advancing to the semifinals. Poland, the favorite to win, lost to France in a full set. As a result, all of the best four teams came from Pool B, which was called the "group of death."
Quarterfinal results
Canada vs Russia 0 : 3 (21-25, 28-30, 22-25)
Russia, ranked 1st in Group B, defeated Canada, ranked 4th in Group A, in straight sets. Russia's serves were strong again this day, with a total of 8 service aces in the 3 sets, and the spikes were almost evenly distributed among Volkov, Kliuka, and Mikhailov on the sides, creating an ideal situation. Canada also attacked mainly with Perrin and Hoag, and with the help of Van Berkel in the middle, the second set was a close match that reached 30 points, but they were unable to score the one point they needed. Russia is off to a good start in the tournament, aiming for their first gold medal in two tournaments.
Russian Team
Japan vs Brazil 0 : 3(20-25, 22-25, 20-25)
In the second quarterfinal, Brazil, second in Group B, overwhelmed Japan, third in Group A, and won in straight sets. Again, the wings, Leal, Wallace, and Lucarelli, scored well. Lucas and other mid-rangers also played an important role, preventing Japan from focusing on the target. Japan also scored mainly from Ishikawa and Nishida, thanks to an ironclad serve reception that did not allow the reigning champion Brazil to score a single service ace, and they were leading in the second set, but setter Fernando skillfully changed the flow and did not allow a counterattack. This match gave Brazil momentum towards their second consecutive victory.
Real Madrid, Brazil's main scorer
Italy vs Argentina 2 : 3 (25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 25-14, 12-15)
The third quarterfinal match was a turbulent one. Italy, second in Group A, lost to Argentina, third in Group B. The match was close from the beginning, but Italy, with their height advantage led by sidemen Juantorena and Micheletto, took the lead in the first set. However, in the second and third sets, Argentina's high floor defense led by libero D'Anani and a variety of attacks by setter Dececco stood out, and they won consecutive sets at the last minute to take the lead. Also, Italy's captain Zaitsev took care of his left hand, which had been injured in the qualifying match against Poland, and was replaced by Vettori from the third set. In the fourth set, Vettori and the youngest player Micheletto overwhelmed Argentina and took the lead, and the match went to the final set. In the fifth set, the match was close, but Italy was leading by one point. However, at 9-10, Argentina's Opposite Lima got a service ace, and after that, Argentina made a comeback with three consecutive breaks, including a difficult high set away from the net. Continuing the momentum, ace Conte scored a spike at the end to win the game set. Argentina won the fierce full-set battle and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in 21 years since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. On the other hand, Italy's dream of winning a medal in three consecutive tournaments was dashed.
Argentina's Lima awakens in the fifth set
Poland vs France 2 : 3 (25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 9-15)
The fourth quarterfinal match was also a full-set battle, with France, ranked 4th in Group B, coming from behind to defeat Poland, ranked 1st in Group A. Poland took a huge lead in the first set with a double ace from Krek and Leon. France also succeeded in consecutive breaks with a service ace and a block from substitute setter Brizard, but Poland won this set. However, France, who used Brizard from the start of the second set, continued the good momentum from the end of the first set and took back the set with a variety of attacks, including nine large blocks and mid-range shots. In the third set, Krek and Leon's twin cannons again blew fire and took back the third set, taking the first place, but from the fourth set onwards, France, who showed a variety of attacks centered around Patry, continued their momentum and won the fourth and fifth sets in a row. France won the comeback victory from fourth place in Group B. This was France's first time in history to reach the Olympic quarterfinals in the last tournament under coach Laurent Tilley.
Poland relied too much on the individual skills of Kurek and Leon, and was unable to effectively use the middle and the outside diagonal to Leon. In particular, the other outside player, Kubiak, Silivka, and Semeniuk, all played on the court, but setter Zizga was unable to make the most of any of them. Poland has been eliminated in the quarterfinals of five consecutive tournaments since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Even after winning the World Championships two years in a row, they were unable to win at the Olympics.
Semi-final schedule
Thursday, August 5
13:00 Brazil vs Russia
21:00 France vs Argentina
Brazil vs. Russia: Russia has won both straight matches in this year's Nations League and Olympic qualifiers. The key is whether Brazil can overcome Russia's serve and block. France vs. Argentina: Argentina won in the qualifiers after a full set, but now France is a different team than it was at the beginning of the tournament, so it will be interesting to see what happens!
How to watch
Webcast
Photo: FIVB
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