Traditional powerhouse Brazil rolled past Czech Republic, 25-11, 25-22, 25-18, to remain unbeaten after two games and boost its Round of 16 bid in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The world No. 3-ranked squad, which dropped the opening set in a four-set win over China, climbed to solo top spot in Pool H.
Alan Souza led the Brazilians with 12 points as the team displayed balanced scoring in the 84-minute match.
“I think we made a lot of mistakes against China, so the coach told us to play better and get back to our normal game because we are a strong team. After that, we came back and played better,” Souza said following Brazil’s statement win.
Brazil has to wait for the result of the China-Serbia match as of press time to determine if it could advance outright or would need to beat the Serbians on Thursday to secure a playoffs seat. A five-set match between Serbia and China, regardless of wins, will give the Brazilians an automatic passage.
Arthur Bento added 11 points, Judson Nunes contributed 10, and captain Ricardo Lucarelli posted nine for Brazil. Flavio Gualberto dominated at the net with five blocks and three attacks for a total of eight points.
Czech Republic fell to a 1-1 card.
Lukas Vasina and Jan Galabov scored 14 and nine points, respectively, for the Czechs.
Meanwhile, Argentina also drew closer to the next round after beating South Korea, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, in Pool C at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The ninth-ranked Argentine banked on the hot hands of Pablo Kukartsev, who finished with 21 points, for a 2-0 slate.
“I think Korea played really good defense. They put a lot of pressure on us in the first two sets. We made a few mistakes at the beginning, but we moved forward and got the result. I think there are no easy matches in this tournament, so it’s normal,” Argentina captain Luciano Palonsky said.
The Koreans suffered a second straight defeat in as many games.
In Pool F, Ukraine swept Algeria, 25-17, 25-12, 25-11, for a 1-1 mark.