Yugoslavia beat Japan 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-27, 15-10) - duration 2:01
27-Jul, start time: 15:05, end time: 17:06 - Attendance: 5,200 Yugoslavia beat Japan 3-2 in two hour match.
Olympic champions Yugoslavia struggled to recover their rhythm after their long flight to Japan but still went ahead and managed to defeat the host team 3-2 in a match that lasted just over two hours. The first set was clsoely fought, but Yugoslavia ran up an 11 point lead in the second, helped by a breakdown in Japan's serving. the Japanese thens teadied and went on to win the set by four points and pull back to 1-1. Beginning to regain their rhythm, Yugoslavia showed their power in attacking and blocking in the head-to-head game in the third set. Japan made fewer errors in serving than the previous set, but they made them at critical points before responding to the cheers of the enthralled 5,200 spectators in Osaka Chuo Gym. Kato and Yamamoto turne don the Yugoslavs with a powerful attack and Kato hammered home a strong spike to take the fourth set and force the tiebreaker. Japan, lacking tenacity, failed to maintain the momentum gained in the fourth set. They were not able to repel spikes hit by Miljkovic and lost five points in a row to go down in the final set 10-15. /mh
