Spain delivered one of the biggest surprises at the U17 Girls' World Championship in Santiago, Chile, after defeating Brazil 3:2 (22:25, 27:25, 25:20, 26:28, 15:13).
The drama in the Group C match was immense, and the Brazilians may long regret the missed opportunity. They were just three points away from their first victory in the championship, after taking a 12:6 lead in the tie-break. Brazil maintained a significant advantage at 13:10, but then a complete turnaround occurred.
Spain won five consecutive rallies, turning 10:13 into 15:13, and inflicted a fourth consecutive defeat on one of the traditional giants in world women's volleyball.

Brazil also squandered 23:20

The collapse in the tie-break was not the only major blunder by the Brazilians in the match.
Brazil started better and won the first set 25:22. In the second, the South Americans had an excellent opportunity to take a 2:0 lead after reaching 23:20.
However, Spain once again showed character. The Europeans made a comeback and snatched the set 27:25.
The third set also went to Spain – 25:20, before Brazil stayed in the match after an extremely contested 28:26 in the fourth.
Thus, it came down to the tie-break and the incredible comeback from 6:12 and 10:13.

13-year-old was #1 for Brazil

The top scorer for Brazil was the only 13-year-old Luiza Queiroz, who finished with 22 points – 18 from attack, 2 aces, and 2 blocks.
The difference in blocking is particularly indicative. Spain scored 16 points from this element against only 7 for Brazil.

The Brazilians also paid a high price for their own errors. They gifted a total of 38 points to their opponent, while receiving 32 from Spain's errors. In the second set alone, Brazil made 11 errors – precisely in the part where they squandered their 23:20 lead.

Brazil is last and eliminated

The defeat left Brazil in last, sixth place in Group C with no wins after the first four matches. The team has only 3 points and a set ratio of 0.500.

The standings show the scale of the failure – after four rounds, Brazil is the only team in the group without a win. Spain already has two successes, and the defeat left the Brazilians with no chance to advance to the title elimination rounds. Before the defeat to Spain, Brazil lost consecutively to Croatia, Poland, and Argentina. In their last group match, the Brazilians will face Japan, after which they will play for places 17th to 24th. For a country with Brazil's traditions and enormous personnel potential, this is one of the most unexpected results in the group stage of the U17 World Championship. And the way the defeat to Spain came – 12:6 and 13:10 in the decisive game, followed by five consecutive lost points – makes the elimination even more painful.

Four teams still undefeated

One round before the end of the group stage, four teams continue undefeated at the U17 World Championship – Poland, USA, China, and Republic of Korea each have four wins and lead their groups. The most impressive performance so far is that of China, which not only has a full 12 points but has not yet lost a single set. USA and Republic of Korea also have the maximum 12 points, while Poland has 11 after a tough 3:2 victory against Brazil. Behind the leaders, the battle remains serious – Turkey and Czechia have three wins each in Group A, Peru and Venezuela are chasing China in Group B, and Italy is the main competitor to the Koreans in Group D. The biggest negative surprise is undoubtedly Brazil – four matches, four defeats, and elimination from the title race even before the last round.

photos:volleyballworld.com