Tokyo 2020 Qualifiers: Argentina is first team to progress to Olympics Games, Canada-Finland 3-0 in Pool F

Argentina is first team to progress to 2020 Tokyo Olympics via FIVB International Qualifications! In Pool F they beat hosts of China at tie break.
In the direct duel for the top spot in Pool F in Ningbo, and also a spot in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Argentina beat hosts China at tie break (19:25, 25:22, 25:21, 18:25, 15:9). Thus, they have qualified for the event in the Japanese capital, already securing their ticket when they took the lead in sets of a 2-1. China needed a 3-0/3-1 victory today, while any other scoreline would suite Argentina. The team coached by Marcelo Méndez finished the competition in the pool with all 3 victories and 8 points while China and Canada, who defeated Finland in straight sets, collected 3 points less each.

Facundo Conte was top scorer with 13 points for Argentina, while Méndez took the advantage of the fact that his team qualified to the Olympics after three sets to send all 14 players registered for the match at some point. Jiang Chuan scored 27 points for China, including 3 aces.

On the other match in Pool F, Canada proved their superiority over Finland with a straight-set victory (25:16, 26:24, 25:20)

Reactions:
Glenn Hoag, Canada head coach: “I am happy with my team as they were able to remain focused and continue to compete. Now we need to turn our attention to our next qualifier. First, we need to prepare for the NORCECA Championship in September and then the Qualification in January.”

Joel Banks, Finland head coach: “Obviously we knew we had missed the ticket to Tokyo before the game. It’s a nice opportunity to play against a good pattern of Canada. We played hard and struggled a good fight after set one, as we were almost sleeping in the first set. we didn’t start the game well and slowly we found our rhythm. By the second set, we showed a lot of energy and termination like yesterday. So overall, I am pleased with our performance in set two and set three.”

John Gordon Perrin, Canada captain: “I am happy with the way we played the game today. We showed good character especially after last night. Although we have been eliminated in this tournament, we have to continue and focus on our next goal. Anyway, I am happy to play a good game against Finland today.”

Eemi Tervaportti, Finland captain: “It was a tough game. We tried hard in the game even though we know we don’t have any chance to qualify. We played the match like the final. I think we started a little bit slow, and slowly we came into the competition and kept fight till the end. We missed a few opportunities and we lost the match.”