Serbia suffered its first loss in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League. The 'Blues' fell to host Brazil with0:3 (22:25, 18:25, 22:25)in a match from the first week of the tournament, played in the capital Brasília.
In front of their home crowd, 'Seleção' left no doubt as to who was the better team on the court and controlled the match for most of the time. The Serbians offered more serious resistance only in the first and third sets, but in both cases, they managed to reach only 22 points.
The Brazilians surpassed their opponent in all key elements. They scored 36 points in attack against 31 for Serbia, recorded 9 successful blocks against 8, and capitalized on significantly more opponent errors – 28 against 21. Both teams finished with 2 direct points from serve.
In defense, the Serbians had a slight advantage with 40 saved balls against 39 for the hosts, and they were also more effective in reception (56 against 45) and setting (76 against 67). Nevertheless, better attacking efficiency and fewer self-inflicted errors decisively tipped the scales in favor of Brazil.
The top scorer for Brazil wasJudsonwith 13 points, followed byDarlanwith 10. For Serbia, the leader wasBrboricwith 11 points, whilePericadded 8.
After the defeat, our western neighbors lost valuable points for the world ranking and dropped two positions, temporarily occupying 12th place in the standings.
Serbia's last match in the tournament in Brazil is against Bulgaria tomorrow. Brazil faces Argentina in a continental derby.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov