Brazil crush Russia in
one-sided final
 Macau,
China, July 31, 2005 - Brazil produced some magic in Macau
to win the FIVB Girls' U18 World Championship for the second
time on Sunday. The fired-up South Americans romped past a
strangely subdued Russia 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-17) to claim
the gold medal.
In addition to their team's success, 16-year-old power
spiker Natalia Pereira was named Most Valuable Player.
Brazil's one-sided victory maintained the country's
incredible record in July 2005, and follows their success in
the men's World League Final in Belgrade and the women's
victory in the World Grand Prix Final Round in Sendai, Japan.
Brazil's head coach, Luizomar de Moura, said he dedicated
this victory to his family and to the trainers and technical
staff for their support. "The players have worked very hard
for this, and produced their best at the right moment," he
said. "They have shown great determination, and that was the
most important factor in the final."
Commenting on MVP winner Pereira, the coach said: "She is a
player with a great future ahead of her, and we have to take
good care of her so that she does not change her style.
"This title will make her want more."
The match for the bronze medal was a classic for the large
and appreciatve crowd at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion.
Both teams shrugged off the disappointment of losing their
semi-final games the previous day to produce a five-set
thriller which drained every ounce of energy and emotion out
of the players.
Italy won 18-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12 to claim the
bronze medal after winning the silver medal two years
earlier in Poland. Italy also won the bronze in 1997 and
1995.
The Americans had to settle for fourth place, the same as in
2003, but many neutral observers felt they were deserving of
more.
In the first match of the day, China shut out Argentina 3-0
(25-17, 25-21, 25-18) in 65 minutes to claim seventh place.
Tang Xiaoming, who has thrilled the crowds and startled
opponents with her fireball serves, led the Chinese charge
with 16 points, including 12 spikes.
In the second match, Korea showed their fighting spirit to
beat Croatia 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 17-25, 15-8) and take
fifth place. "We have been here a long time, 10 days, and
the players were very tired," said Korea's head coach, Ahn
Byung-Man. "At the start of the game they didn't look like
they cared about fifth or sixth place, and they were lazy. I
told them we must fight harder."
FINAL RANKING: 1, Brazil; 2, Russia; 3, Italy; 4, USA; 5,
Korea; 6,
Croatia; 7, China; 8, Argentina. |
Competition Formula
