In the gold medal match, Sada Cruzeiro defeated Trentino for the second time in four days, following up on a five-set pool play victory on Thursday with a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22) win on Sunday to lift the trophy for the fifth time after victories in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2021.
“We obviously know how good Trentino are, but when we step on the court, we don’t rate ourselves lower than anyone,” said outside hitter Rodrigo ‘Rodriguinho’ Leão. “They have excellent players and are very used to playing matches at this level, but we always believe in our chances and leave everything on the court. We can win or lose, but we always give everything we have.”
One of the stars of Sada Cruzeiro’s first world title, 37-year-old opposite Wallace de Souza was the team’s leading scorer in the decisive duel with the Italians, delivering 23 points, with 22 kills and one block.
Other standouts in the team’s victory were outside hitter Gabriel Vaccari, who added 12 points, with 11 kills and one ace, and setter Matheus Brasília, who scored four, including three consecutive aces in a key moment during the third set.
