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Vizag to
stage clash of the junior titans
 Visakhapatnam,
India, August 13, 2005 - Former champions Brazil and Russia
will meet on Sunday to decide the winner of the FIVB Men's
U21 World Championship.
Both teams flexed their mighty muscles with straight-sets
victories in the semi-finals on Saturday, and the final
looks set to be a classic played in front of a capacity
crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
First, Russia crushed European rivals the Netherlands, and
then Brazil blew away Cuba in a Saturday night power show.
The Dutch and Cubans must now pick themselves up from these
defeats and contest the bronze medal. They have come close,
but no cigar.
Russia won this title in 1999 and 1995, following four gold
medals for the former Soviet Union (in 1989, 1985, 1981 and
1977), and Brazil won the gold medal in 2001 and 1993.
In the first semi-final, Russia's "Big Blue Machine" rumbled
over the Netherlands, leaving a smudge of orange on the
court. Russia won 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-23) in 61 minutes,
and had the game's outstanding individual in Evgeny
Sivozhelez, who bagged 17 points.
The Russian serving was ferocious, notably from Alexei
Ostapenko, and this was the big difference in the first two
sets as the Dutch were unable to build any attacking rhythm.
Even so, the left-handed wing spiker Niels Klapwijk troubled
the Russian defence with 12 flashing winners from the right,
but it was not enough against this awesome Russian team.
The Netherlands' head coach, Gido Vermeulen, could not hide
his disappointment after the game. "We thought we had a
chance, but we had no chance," he said. "We prepared very
well but could not put pressure on them with our serve.
"In the first and second sets, the Russian serve was too big
for us."
Overall, though, he described the championship as "very
successful" for his team, as they had reached the last four
for the first time and laid the foundations for a brighter
future for the senior men's team.
In the second semi-final, Brazil enjoyed the backing of the
home crowd, and this lifted them to a convincing 3-0 victory
over Cuba (25-21, 25-18, 25-23) in 70 minutes.
Marcus Jube was Brazil's inspiration with a game-high 23
points, and he was singled out by Cuban coach Lawrence
Garcia Ramon as the architect of Brazil's success.
Marcus had 18 thumping spikes, four blocks and one service
point to keep Brazil moving forward toward an inevitable
victory.
After the game, which was played in a carnival atmosphere
with young Indian spectators dancing to the samba beat of
the drums during breaks in play, Brazil's head coach
promised a Sunday treat for the locals.
"My expectation is that Brazil will win the match, but I
know it will be difficult because all four teams in the
semi-finals are strong. It was possible for any of them to
have won," said Marcos Lerbach. "I think this game tomorrow
(Sunday) will be better for the spectators in the stands
than for the coaches on the court.
"You can watch it and enjoy it with a smile on your face,
but we will have stress and emotion.
"I hope that the people will be happy with the game, and I
can say we will make a nice match -- but I do not know who
will win!"
Lerbach said his players were developing all the time, and
in two to three years would be ready to produce "spectacular"
Volleyball for the senior team. "All the players are very
strong," he added, "not only power but in
their mind because they had the confidence to win this
match.
"Cuba is a very nice team, the best generation of players
for a few years, and I am sure they will become a world
power."
The minor placings are being decided at the 12-team
championship's second venue, the Swarna Bharati Stadium.
On Saturday, Korea beat the USA 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-19,
25-21) with the help of 29 spikes from Moon Sung-Min, and
will now finish fifth or sixth.
The Americans will be seventh or eighth, an admirable
achievement in their first championship since 1981 and only
their third in all. They have finished seventh on both
previous occasions.
In the second classification game, Iran swept a
disappointing Serbia and Montenegro 3-0 (25-15, 25-19,
25-19).
Iran will battle Asian rivals Korea for fifth place, while
the USA will meet the Serbs for seventh position on Sunday's
final day. |
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