On the second day of the Tokyo Olympics men's volleyball, Japan won a close match against Canada 3-1 thanks to the efforts of Nishida and Ishikawa! They took another big step towards qualifying. Poland also beat Italy, and Brazil came back from two sets down to win a fierce battle against Argentina.
Results of the second day of the tournament (July 26th)
Japan vs Canada 3-1 (25-23, 23-25 25-23, 25-20)
First set starting lineup (serving order)
Japan: OH14 Ishikawa, MB6 Yamauchi, OP11 Nishida, OH21 Takahashi, MB2 Onodera, S12 Sekita, L20 Yamamoto
Canada: MB17 Viglas, S1 Saunders, OH2 Perrin, MB12 Van Berkel, OP13 Vernon, OH7 Marr, L19 Byrne
Japan's opponent on the second day of the tournament was Canada. In this year's Nations League, they struggled with their opponent's serves and lost 0-3 in straight sets, but on this day they were able to get their revenge.
The starting lineup was the same as the first match. To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I'm a big fan of Fujii as the setter, but I like Sekita too, so it's fine. As expected, the match against Canada was a back-and-forth battle for one point.
The first point of the day started with a quick from Yamauchi. Sekita continues to use the middle aggressively, as he did the day before. In the Nations League, Japan struggled with Canada's powerful serves, but this time, libero Yamamoto, as well as both outside players Ishikawa and Takahashi, were able to steadily take side-outs without being broken down by serve reception. Also, on the offensive side, Nishida Yuji, who was not in good form the day before, exploded! Thanks to Sekita's high and fast set, he scored high and sharp spikes one after another from the beginning of the match! A lively Nishida is great! However, Japan was unable to break down the opponent's reception with their serves, and lost the first set by a small margin of 23-25.
However, the team continued to play high-level volleyball from the second set onwards. Nishida stepped up his game even more in this set, scoring a service ace early on, reminding Canada of the nightmare of the 2019 World Cup. He hit difficult high-set balls one after another, and was just too reliable! Nishida also took the set point, making it 25-23. This set was also a close one, but Japan made it 1-1.
In the third set, Canada, desperate to break the momentum that was leaning towards Japan, started with OH Hoag, and then S. Blankenau and MB Schwartz in the middle of the set, but Japan's lead remained unchanged. Hoag and Schwartz's serves were very strong, but Japan's receivers were really good. They don't stand out, so it looks easy. And even during rallies, they showed attacks from the center with quicks and pipes. Total defense with blocks and receives. Amazing. The Japanese men's team is amazing. This set was also close, but Japan won 25-23.
The fourth set was also a 1-2 point difference like the previous ones until the middle. However, in the midst of all of this, Takahashi Ai tried to make a back attack with a two, then a high-speed fake set and Ishikawa's unmarked spike!!! Just amazing! This super play somehow brought the momentum to Japan again. They just couldn't stop the momentum! Canada didn't give up until the end, breaking many times, but in the end Nishida, who was in top form that day, scored a spike to set the game! They got a valuable win against Canada and a big boost towards qualifying! Wow, Japan is so amazing!
Nishida, who had the most points with 23 points, had an attack success rate of 611 TP3T, and two aces. Ishikawa, who is stable, also had a great performance with 22 points. And Takahashi Ai and Yamamoto's solid defense. Yamauchi and Onodera's blocks and quicks. Sekita's brilliant setup. Everyone is amazing. There were a lot of good plays in the Nations League, but I think it's amazing how they've come this far since then. It's just exciting.
Our next match will be against Italy, but at this level, I think Italy has a good chance of winning. This will be the first time we've played against the Italian national team since the 2018 World Championships, held in Italy on an outdoor court. At that time, Nishida was absent and it was almost a public execution, but I hope they can get their revenge this time! Go Nippon!!!
Other results
Pool A
Iran vs Venezuela 3 : 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-18)
Poland vs Italy 3 : 0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-20)
Pool B
USA vs Russia 1 : 3 (23-25, 25-27, 25-21, 23-25)
France vs Tunisia 3 : 0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-21)
Brazil vs Argentina 3 : 0 (19-25, 21-25, 25-22)
Poland is in Pool A, the same as Japan. After a disappointing defeat to Iran in a full set the day before, Poland defeated Rio Olympics silver medalist Italy in straight sets to claim their first win. Poland was missing captain Kubiak and Italy's regular setter Giannelli due to poor condition, but Poland, who continued to take the lead in the game with aggressive serves led by Leon, won the match. Italy's ace Zaitsev's condition is not improving, as it was the day before, which is a concern. Iran won comfortably against Venezuela to record their second consecutive victory.
Pool B was an unexpected development for the previous champion Brazil. They were lackluster against their South American rivals, Argentina, losing the first two sets in a row. OP Lima and OH Palacios were in good form for Argentina, and they pulled away from Brazil with solid defense and Dececco's diverse attacks that made it difficult to narrow down the target. However, after the third set, Brazil struggled many times, but made many comebacks with an indomitable spirit, using substitutions. Led by ace Real, everyone, including the bench, really played volleyball to hang on to Argentina and staged a spectacular comeback. In addition, Russia won a close match against the United States to record their second consecutive win. France also won in straight sets against Tunisia, earning their first win of the tournament.
Provisional ranking
Pool A
- Japan: 2 wins, 6 points
- Iran: 2 wins, 5 points
- Poland: 1 win, 1 loss, 4 points
- Italy 1 win, 1 loss, 2 points
------------------ - Canada: 2 losses, 1 point
- Venezuela: 2 losses, 0 points
Pool B
- Russia: 2 wins, 6 points
- Brazil: 2 wins, 5 points
- USA: 1 win, 1 loss, 3 points
- France: 1 win, 1 loss, 3 points
------------------ - Argentina: 2 losses, 1 point
- Tunisia: 2 losses, 0 points
Schedule for the 3rd day of the tournament (July 28th)
9:00 Canada vs Iran
11:05 USA vs Tunisia
14:20 Argentina vs France
16:25 Poland vs Venezuela
19:40 Japan vs Italy
21:45 Brazil vs Russia
How to watch
Television broadcast (Japan matches only)
- NHK-BS1 19:30～
Webcast
Photo: FIVB
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