The Brazilian men’s volleyball team faces a crucial commitment in the Nations League. After a promising start with victories in Brasília, the team led by Bernardinho recorded its first defeat due to errors against Ukraine. The team lost its provisional lead in the classification and now faces Italy as its opponent in the Ljubljana stage, in Slovenia. The clash against the Italians is scheduled for this Friday (26), starting at 3pm Brasília time, and can be followed live on sportv2, in addition to having real-time coverage from GE.
The national volleyball team, which had started its journey in the Nations League with an unbeaten run playing on Brazilian soil, had a difficult start in the Slovenian phase. Last Wednesday, the team led by Bernardinho presented multiple failures, both individual and collective, culminating in their first defeat in the championship. The confrontation resulted in a victory for Ukraine by 3 sets to 1, with partial scores showing 29 to 27, 22 to 25, 25 to 22 and 25 to 21. Even with the setback, Darlan stood out as the main athlete of the match, scoring an impressive 26 points.
The initial stage of the Nations League foresees that each of the 18 teams will play a total of 12 matches. The eight best teams advance to the quarterfinals, which take place in a single venue – China, as the host country, already has its place secured. After the clash with Italy, Brazil will still face Slovenia and Canada in Ljubljana, completing their games at this stage. Currently, after losing their leadership position and falling back to third place, Japan occupies the top of the table with 14 points, while Italy is in fifth place, with 10 points. Achieving points in this game is vital for Brazil to remain among those classified for the final phase.
After completing the phase in Slovenia, the Brazilian team will return to the courts between the 15th and 19th of July, this time in Chicago, in the United States. The next challenges in the third and final week of the qualifying phase will include clashes against France, the United States, Poland and China. Brazil, which has already become VNL champion in 2021, aims to win its second title in the championship, which would put it on the same level as Russia, France and Poland, teams that currently hold two cups and are the tournament’s biggest winners.
Details of the clash between Brazil and Italy in the Nations League
For fans who want to follow the crucial match between Brazil and Italy, the information is as follows:
- Date:Friday, June 26th
- Time:3pm, Brasília time
- Location:Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Transmission:sportv2, with a pre-broadcast starting at 2:40 pm. The ge portal will also offer real-time coverage of the event.