Serbia scored a major upset with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-22, shocker over sentimental favorite Brazil to secure a Round of 16 spot in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Opposite spiker Drazen Luburić starred with 19 points built on 17 kills and two service aces for the Serbians’ second straight win after an opening day loss to the Czech Republic in Pool H.
“It’s a huge win for us. I’m not sure we would have performed this well if we had beaten Czechia. Probably we would have been a little relaxed, so in a way, it’s a good thing. We chose the hard way, but luckily, we made it through,” Luburic said.
“It was a great performance, definitely, as we saw on the court, but I’m not sure if they showed all of their qualities, of course. But we also knew how hard we worked this summer,” he added.
Luburić had plenty of support with Pavle Perić and Miran Kujundžić chipping in 15 and 10 markers, respectively.
The Serbians’ defensive wall frustrated the Brazilian attacker as they tallied 10 kill blocks while pounding 43 attack points.
Serbia will face the second-seeded squad in Pool A in the knockout phase.
Brazil could be looking at an early vacation despite holding a 2-1 slate. A straight-set win by the Czech Republic (1-1) over winless China as of press time would hand the Czechs the other Round of 16 spot.
Alan Souza was the lone Brazilian in double figures with 10 points while Judson Nunes added nine markers.
On the other hand, Tunisia eliminated Egypt, 25-19, 25-18, 25-22, to advance in the next round and close the group stage with a 2-1 slate in Pool A.
Finland strengthened its Round of 16 bid with a hard-fought 25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 25-21, triumph over listless South Korea in Pool C.
Despite a 2-1 card, the Finns’ fate, however, will still depend on the result of the Argentina-France match as of press time.
If Argentina wins in any scoreline, or if France wins in three or four sets, Finland will get through the next phase.
If France wins in five sets, forcing a three-way tie at 2-1, the French would advance thanks to a superior set ratio. Argentina and Finland will then go on a tiebreaker by point ratio.