Set three was probably key to the match. Slovenia failed to hold on to the five-point lead they had at 10-5 and allowed the opponents to catch up. This time the Brazilian players stayed more focused in the epilog of the set. After taking the lead at 23-22 for the first time in the set, they managed to close it in their favor and edge ahead in the match score. The fourth set was competitive only through 11-11. With five points in a row, Brazil broke away and never looked back.
“Super!” exclaimed Brazil’s setter Fernando Kreling (Cachopa) in front of the VBTV camera after the match. “It is just the beginning of a young team, a new team, and it is important to win a medal. We had a lot of hard moments and I think we are growing together. I can tell you that our legs are a little bit tired and obviously we faced a good team. Slovenia is one of the best teams in the world right now. So, it couldn’t be easy. We reached the quarterfinals last year, two years ago, three years ago… So, to make the final four is a big thing for us.”
The attack was the only scoring element, in which Slovenia slightly outperformed Brazil, with 49 kills against 48. Their offensive effort was fueled by 23-year-old star outside hitter Rok Mozic, who hit 18 points in swings and another three in blocks towards a match-high 21 points. Opposite Toncek Stern added another 10 points for Slovenia, all in offense.
