Road to Paris 2024: all results of Day 3. Germany beat Brazil!

Men’s FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier continued today with Day 3 in Japan, China and Brazil.

The third competition day in Tokyo witnessed intense and exciting matches.
Slovenia opened the Pool B day with their third straight win, sweeping Finland with the score of 3-1 (25:19, 18:25, 25:20, 25:18). Klemen Cebulj led the scoring for Slovenia with 18 points, closely followed by Rok Mozic, who also contributed with 16, while Finland’s Joonas Jokela scored 14 points, remaining at the seventh spot in the current charts with just one point.
And then Serbia faced a combative Egypt, that took the opening set. However, the big favorites reacted, winning the game with the same score (18:25, 25:19, 25:14, 25:16),
led by Marko Ivovic, Uros Kovacevic, and Drazen Luburic, who secured 14, 13 and 12 points respectively. Egypt’s Reda Haikal matched Luburic’s tally.
Serbia now occupies third place with a 2-1 record, just ahead of Japan based on set ratio.
Aaron Russell, with USA‘s jersey, had a splendid performance, scoring the highest points for the day, 25, leading his team to their third victory in as many games also by 3-1 (25:17, 26:28, 32:30, 25:20) against Türkiye. Torey Defalco also contributed with 21 points, while Adis Lagumdzija scored 20 on the losing side.
In the last game of the day, the hosts Japan dominated Tunisia with a clear 3-0 (25:14, 25:16, 25:15). Superstars Ran Takahashi and Yuki Ishikawa each secured 13 points, while Taishi Onodera and Yuji Nishida also contributed with 10 points each. Tunisia remains without a win, placed at the bottom of the current charts.

In Pool C, hosts China clinched their first triumph in the competition with an assertive straight-set shutout (25:21, 25:9, 25:19) against Mexico, led once again by star player Zhang Jingyin with 16 points, and Josue Lopez was Mexico’s top scorer with 10 points, while, in another clash, Belgium managed a surprise victory over the Netherlands in just three sets (25:22, 25:19, 25:15). Outside hitter and captain, Sam Deroo, stood out with an impressive 21 points.
Meanwhile, Canada almost achieved another upset against top-ranked Poland.
The most gripping match of the day was this one, in which Canada pushed the rivals to their limits, taking the game into the fifth set’s overtime. However, Poland emerged victorious with a score of 3-2 (21:25, 25:20, 25:20, 20:25, 17:15), le by Bartosz Bednorz, top scorer of the game with 25 points.
Earlier in the day, despite Bulgaria’s attempt, Argentina secured a win in straight sets, 3-0 (27:25, 25:21, 31:29). Bulgaria’s captain Tsvetan Sokolov showcased an impressive performance with 20 points, but he wasn’t enough. Bruno Lima was the most prolific player among the winners with 16 points.

In Pool A in Brazil, on the third day of the Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament, fans in iconic Rio’s Maracanãzinho arena were left speechless because a great Germany performed a stunning upset against hosts, 3-1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:19, 28:26), a victory that vastly improved their chances of earning a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
With Polish Winiarski at the helm, they are eager to return to the Olympic Games after having missed out on the last two editions!
German veteran György Grozer was again the hero of the day, leading all scorers with 27 points which included 22 kills, three aces, and two blocks.
Still processing the massive win, he said: “I can’t believe what we did here today. It’s an incredible result and we’re still processing it,” and he also emphasized the need to stay grounded, mentioning their upcoming match against Italy, the current Pool A leaders.
However, Germany’s celebration was tinged with concern about their captain Lukas Kampa, who suffered a calf injury, missing his contribute for the rest of the tournament.
Jan Zimmermann is set to replace him.
Meanwhile, also Italy maintained their impeccable form, topping the Pool, with their third victories in as many games.
On Tuesday, they showcased their dominance by defeating Ukraine 3-0 (25:23, 25:16, 25:16), led by Alessandro Michieletto who scored a match-high 20 points, while Daniele Lavia also contributed with ten points.
In the same Pool Iran claimed their maiden victory by beating Qatar by 3-1 (25:23, 23:25, 25:17, 25:23), with Saber Kazemi shining for the winners, scoring 26 points.
Cuba returned to their winning path triumphing 3-0 (26:24, 25:21, 25:21) against Czech Republic.
For Cuba, the offensive trio of Jesus Herrera, Miguel Angel Lopez, and Marlon Yant is decisive, contributing 16, 14, and 13 points respectively.

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🇧🇷| Pool A | October 3, 2023 Day 3
• Iran – Qatar 3-1 (25:23, 23:25, 25:17, 25:23)
• Cuba – Czech Republic 3-0 (26:24, 25:21, 25:21)
• Italy – Ukraine 3-0 (25:23, 25:16, 25:16)
• Brazil – Germany 1-3 (25:21, 19:25, 19:25, 26:28)

🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1.Italy 9
2.Germany 9
3.Cuba 6
4.Brazil 5
5.Iran 3
6.Ukraine 3
7.Czech Republic 1
8.Qatar 0

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🇯🇵| Pool B | Ocober 3, 2023 Day 3
• Slovenia – Finland 3-1 (25:19, 18:25, 25:20, 25:18)
• Serbia – Egypt 3-1 (18:25, 25:19, 25:14, 25:16)
• USA – Türkiye 3-1 (25:17, 26:28, 32:30, 25:20)
• Japan – Tunisia 3-0 (25:14, 25:16, 25:15)

🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1.Slovenia 9
2.USA 9
3.Serbia 6
4.Japan 6
5.Türkiye 3
6.Egypt 2
7.Finland 1
8.Tunisia 0

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🇨🇳| Pool C | October 3, 2023 Day 3
• Argentina – Bulgaria 3-0 (27:25, 25:21, 31:29)
• The Netherlands – Belgium 0-3 (22:25, 19:25, 15:25)
• Poland – Canada 3-2 (21:25, 25:20, 25:20, 20:25, 17:15)
• China – Mexico 3-0 (25:21, 25:9, 25:19)

🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1.Poland 7
2.Belgium 7
3.Argentina 6
4.Canada 6
5.The Netherlands 4
6.China 3
7.Bulgaria 3
8.Mexico 0

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