Czechia get the job done against China to advance and eliminate Brazil

Czechia managed to extend their first FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship appearance in 15 years beyond pool play in a fantastic way on Thursday, securing the only result that would get them through in their final Pool H match and eliminating FIVB World Ranking number three Brazil along the way.

The Europeans faced China in the last match of the day at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City knowing that only a three-set victory would get them through without a doubt, and they pushed for it, beating the Asians 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-18) to spark emotional celebrations in the Philippines.

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The Czech sweep against the Chinese caused a triple tie at the top of Pool H standings, as them, Serbia and Brazil all finished pool play with two victories and six points. The only team to drop sets to the Asians, the South Americans ended on the wrong side of the three-way tie and finished outside the qualification zone in third place and are set to miss the World Championship elimination rounds for the first time since 1970.

Opposite Patrik Indra played a pivotal role in the Czech victory against the Chinese, leading his side with an impressive 29 points (23 kills, four blocks, two aces). Outside hitter Jan Galabov and middle blocker Antonin Klimes also got to double digits, with 11 and ten points, respectively.

"It feels incredible," Indra reacted. "We went to bed yesterday thinking that we'd need to win two sets to qualify today, but after the morning practice, we found out about the result of the other match and figured out that we would need to win 3-0 instead. And then we couldn't stop thinking about the match. It was tough, especially the first set, but we found a way to overcome it."

Outside hitter Wang Bin was the only Chinese player to get to double digits in scoring, registering 12 points, with 11 kills and one ace.

"I thought we made some good progress over the week here," Wang remarked. "We pushed Brazil a lot in our first match and fought for every point. I think that going forward, we need to find a better balance between fighting and producing well on the technical side of the game to be more competitive."

Czechia demonstrated a great sense of urgency and were better from the start, outscoring the Chinese in kills (47 to 39), blocks (ten to four) and aces (four to three). Each team registered 15 errors.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship: Match Schedule & Results

Czechia advanced in second place and will face Pool A winners Tunisia in the Round of 16 on Tuesday. Serbia, who topped the pool, will play against Iran, who were the runners-up in Pool A, on the same day.

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