Huge assignment ahead for Portugal in
Brazil
  June 18, 2005 –
World number 18 Portugal pulled off an
historic victory over World League
defending champions Brazil in Round Two
of the
Intercontinental Round and they will
need to do it again when the two top
sides in Pool A meet this weekend in
Brasilia.
Last time out Portugal had the advantage
of the home crowd and managed to split
their matches with the Olympic and world
champions but one sees an enormous
obstacle for the Europeans playing
Brazil at home in Round Four.
Pic: Portugal's Hugo Gaspar faces a
massive Brazilian block when the two
teams met in Round Two
While Portgual are in the middle of
their best run ever in the World League,
Brazil have got off to a slow start with
new players slowly being introduced into
the mix.
However, the world number one are still
favourites to win the pool and claim the
one ticket available to the Final Round,
especially when one considers Brazil
will play the rest of their
Intercontinental Round matches at home.
Such is the status of this weekend's
contest, the second match between the
Pool A leaders will take centre stage on
television screens around the world
after being selected as the FIVB’s
“match of the week”.
For the fourth week running, the FIVB
will provide a live satellite broadcast
of a key World League game and the
second match between Brazil and Portugal
on Sunday 19 June at 13 p.m. GMT (10
a.m. local time) in Brasília, Brazil is
set to be an epic.
Not only does it promise to be a
colourful event on the court with Brazil
playing at home for the first time but
with the exuberant nature of Brazilian
fans off the court, the scenes are
expected to be unforgettable.
Portugal is in the middle of their best
ever run in the World League having won
five of their first six games. While
Brazil have also five victories and sit
in second place only on set ratio
difference.
A Brazilian home crowd is always worth a
five or so point start so Orlando
Samuels and his men will have to be at
their absolute best to hop on their
return flight from Brazil with anything
more than three points (one point for a
loss, two points for a win) from this
weekend's two matches. |
Competition Formula