Blocking was the one scoring element, in which China outplayed Brazil. The home team raised 11 kill blocks against eight from their South American rivals. Middle Li Yongzhen authored four of those to finish with eight points, while another three of his teammates reached the double digits. Wen Zihua led the way with 15 points, followed by captain Jiang Chuan with 11 and outside hitter Yu Yuantai with 10.
“I think we played a very good match. We did very well in serving and attack,” commented Wen. “Under the leadership of our coach Vital (Heynen), we have been growing every day and accumulating experience through these matches.”
“We played an amazing first set. In the second and the fourth sets, we were equal to 17-17, and then we start to think about winning, ‘oh, we can win against Brazil!’, and then we make all the mistakes. We train very well and we are ready to play well until the moment of truth arrives and we forget everything. And that’s very normal, because the team was never in this situation. So we need more of these situations to learn,” China’s Belgian coach Heynen added. “I see big steps forward, but we have to be very fair that Brazil is many steps in front of us. That is clear, but I go out of the VNL with a very nice feeling. We were fighting and that was the most important. Sport is about giving everything. My guys were giving everything. That’s what I want!”
