WCH 2022: Ukraine to quarterfinals! An unrecognizable Netherlands defeated in just three sets

Surprise, surprise: Ukraine trampled over Netherlands to go to their first-ever World Championship quarter-final!

Ukraine staged the biggest upset of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship so far.
In the first of today’s two Round of 16 matches in Ljubljana, Slovenia, they defeated the Netherlands with surgical precision to advance to a quarter-final matchup with the co-host Slovenia.
The team that took over for suspended Russia in the event outplayed the favorite rivals in just three sets (25:16, 25:19, 25:18) with the help of their high-level blocking.
Throughout the three sets of their victory, in fact, they set up 12 kill blocks versus one from the rivals. Illia Kovalov stood out as the best in this element with 4 stuffs (one of his points brought in set point at 24-17 in the second set), while Vasyl Tupchii scored 14 points, spiking at a success rate of 69% and adding three winning blocks, which was the most in the game.
Outside hitter and captain Oleh Plotnytskyi was once again a team leader: he also contributed with 11 points, including the ace that bring Ukraine back to within one at 5-4 in the second set, and an off-the-block hit to close the set off at 25-19.
Ukraine’s match statistics also accounted for five aces against two for their opponents, and the team’s overall success rate in attack stood at a great 64%.

After the Netherlands defeated Egypt, Argentina, and Iran in the group stage, and doing so with a real beautiful volleyball, this hard defeat came as a big disappointment. and today the guys around italian expert Roberto Piazza were unrecognizable.
The best scorer of the Preliminary Phase in the tournament, Nimir Abdel-Aziz, underperformed today, scoring only 10 points through a very disappointing low attack rate of 21.05% (7/19).

In quarterfinals Ukraine will face co-hosts Slovenia on Wednesday, at 21.00 (local time).

In second match of the day, France needed five sets to defeat Japan to take a ticket for quarterfinals too, in which they will face Italy.

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🏐| 2022 FIVB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP | ROUND OF 16

September 3, 2022 | 📍Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Slovenia – Germany 3-1 (25:18, 25:19, 21:25, 25:22)
• Italy – Cuba 3-1 (25:21, 21:25, 26:24, 25:18)

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September 4, 2022 | 📍Gliwice, Poland
• USA – Türkiye 3-2 (25:21, 25:17, 22:25, 19:25, 15:12)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• Poland – Tunisia 3-0 (25:20, 25:15, 25:20)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
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September 5, 2022

👉🏼 17.30 (Local Time) | 📍Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Netherlands – Ukraine 0-3 (16:25, 19:25, 18:25)