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The Argentine national team struck and took out one of the best teams in the first knockout phase of the volleyball world cup. In the round of 16 beat Serbia 3-0 convincingly and advanced among the top eight teams in the tournament played in Slovenia-Poland.
Now, it will be the turn to see the faces against Brazil, in what will be the South American classic that will grant a place in the semifinals of the World Cup. The match will be played from 12.30 (Argentine time) and can be followed on the screen of ESPN y Star+.
It had been 20 years since Argentina had failed to qualify among the most outstanding players in the World Cup. Since that opportunity in the tournament that was played in the country in 2002, when the team that Carlos Getzelevich led at the time fell to the French (3-1) in the quarterfinals to finish in 5th place.
With eight players from the squad that has just made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that were played last year, the team he leads Marcelo Mendez He played his best performance so far in the tournament. Gone are the doubts left by the group stage, which began with tie-break defeats against Iran and the Netherlands, two teams that were already eliminated after losing in the round of 16.
In the tight victory against Egypt (3-2), which finally enabled the selected team to advance to the round, some improvement was seen. But as he himself said Hugo Conte, one of the best players of all time chosen by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), this team is motivated by this type of eliminatory matches. And boy did he embarrass him in Japan’s capital at the Olympics.
In Tokyo, the Argentine team beat the United States and Italy in key duels to stay alive in the tournament. And in the bronze medal match, they recovered from a 1-2 deficit to turn the score around and beat Brazil in a tie-break, leaving them without an Olympic podium for the first time in at least four Olympic Games. An unprecedented fact.
In the duel against the SerbsLuciano De Cecco, captain and point guard of the team, had a dazzling game. In the attack, they were decisive Bruno Lima -scorer with 14 and who is in 5th position among the top scorers in the World Cup with 73 units-, Facundo Conte and the return of Ezekiel Palacioskey to add one more option on offense.
Another aspect to highlight among the players of the Albiceleste it is the tournament he had so far Augustine Loser. The man who won the last point to win the bronzes in Tokyo from the hand of the block, leads the list of the best blockers in the World Cup with 37 points. There is more? Considered one of the best volleyball liberos on the planet, Santiago Danani he is second on the list among the most efficient receivers.
Facing Argentina will be the Verdeamarela, which reaches the quarterfinals undefeated. They won their zone after beating Qatar and Japan 3-0, and battled against Cuba (3-2) to close with three wins. Already in the round of 16, they faced the Iranians -second in the National Team group-, a rival whom they swept with partials of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-23.
Brazil maintains a superlative streak. She has reached the final in the last five World Cups (2002, 06, 2010, 2014 and 2018) and won the first three. In the last two editions, they fell to the Poles, a powerhouse in this sport and who ranked among the best eight. Precisely, from the winner between Argentines and Brazilians will come the rival of the crossing that will star the USA and Poland. On the other side of the key, the quarterfinals will have duels between Slovenia and Ukraine, and France-Italy.
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