[VNL2021 Men's Final] Review

The men's final of the Nations League 2021 took place the other day. The match was between Brazil and Poland. They were ranked 1st and 2nd in the preliminary league, and 1st and 2nd in the world rankings. It was a fierce battle between two teams who had been progressing well. The previous finals, both the semi-finals and the third place deciding match, had been straight and almost one-sided, so I was a little worried, hoping for Poland's victory and expecting an exciting game, but the final was a fierce battle in which neither team would give an inch. ...Until the second set (lol).

Brazil vs Poland 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-14)

First set starting lineup (serving order)

Brazil
OH18 Lucarelli
MB16 Lucas
OP8 Wallace
OH9Real
MB13 Mauricio Souza
S1 Bruno
L17 Thales

Poland
S11 Zizga
OH13 Kubiak
MB20 Bieniek
OP6 Crek
OH9 Leon
MB1 Nowakowski
L17 Zatorski

Up until the second set, it was a really interesting match. It was an exciting match where either team could have won, and even if one team was leading a little, the other team quickly caught up, and the flow of the match changed constantly. To borrow the words of the English commentator, it was a match like a "roller coaster". Both teams were hitting extremely strong serves with few mistakes, as well as powerful spikes, but there were very few service aces and blocks. The high level of decision-making in the high set was also amazing. They picked up a lot of digs and didn't give up on connecting. If they let their hands down even for a moment, they would be defeated. It was a tense, high-level match worthy of a match between the world's top two. I mainly watched the Japan match in this tournament, but the intensity of the match was completely different. I feel like I saw what Japan should ultimately aim for here. I also thought it was simply amazing that there were two players playing in the V League on the stage of the final.

Brazil's OP Wallace (wearing the Equals uniform)

Both Brazil and Poland have naturalized Cuban players, Real and Leon, and before the match, a fierce battle between them was expected. However, this did not happen as both teams tried to limit the opportunities for the Cuban players to participate in the attack by targeting their serves, and instead the ball was concentrated on the two opposites, Wallace and Krek. The Cuban players were out of the ordinary, so it seemed like they were being overshadowed, but their presence on this day was amazing. In fact, both were the top scorers for their teams, and there were many times when they saved the team from a pinch by scoring high sets that their teammates had desperately passed on to them. This is what an ace is. This is what a world ace is.

Perhaps inspired by their success, Brazil's Real Madrid also gradually improved their form, although they struggled with serve reception. Meanwhile, Leon was not in good form, his spikes did not go as expected, and his serve, which had been so explosive in the preliminary league, was not as good on this day. There are many reasons for the victory or defeat, but Leon's inability to improve his form and his forced substitution led to Brazil's one-sided development from the third set onwards. Semeniuk, who replaced him, was also unable to show his true strength and made a series of mistakes. But in such a high-level match, if even one gear goes wrong, the gap will widen and before you know it, you will not be able to do anything. Brazil's concentration was really amazing. I wanted to keep watching the game as it was up to the second set, but I can only say that Brazil is amazing. Congratulations Brazil. And congratulations to Poland for being the runner-up. Let's pay this debt at the Olympics.

Team Polska

Final standings

1. Brazil (first win)
2. Poland
3. France
4. Slovenia

Individual Awards

Best Setter:
Fabian Zyzga (Poland)

Best Opposite:
Wallace de Souza (Brazil), Bartosz Kurek (Poland)

Best Outside Hitter:
Yolandi Leal (Brazil), Michal Kubiak (Poland)

Best Middle Blocker:
Mauricio Sousa (Brazil), Mateusz Bieniek (Poland)

Best Libero:
Thales Ossu (Brazil)

MVP:
Wallace de Souza (Brazil), Bartosz Kurek (Poland)

Photo: FIVB