The Slovenian national team recorded their third victory in the Nations League but had to work hard against Cuba in a match from the first week of the tournament in Linyi, China. Fabio Soli's team trailed 1:2 in sets before making a comeback and winning 3:2 (25:15, 26:28, 19:25, 25:14, 15:11).
The Slovenians started convincingly and won the first set 25:15, but then the Cubans showed character. The second set was extremely contested and ended in favor of the Caribbean boys with 28:26, and in the third part, Cuba continued its rise and after 25:19, came within one set of an upset.
In the fourth set, however, the Slovenians reacted like champions. They dominated completely and equalized after a convincing 25:14. In the tie-break, the Europeans left no doubt as to who was the more stable team in the decisive moments and reached the ultimate success after 15:11.
Despite the victory, Slovenia missed one point for the standings after failing to finish the match with a straight-sets win. The team remains temporarily in third place in the VNL standings.
Statistics show a clear superiority for Slovenia in all key elements of the game. The Europeans scored 62 points from attack against 55 for Cuba, recorded 16 successful blocks against 10, and finished with 4 aces against 3 for their opponent. The Slovenians also capitalized on more Cuban errors, winning 28 points from opponent errors against 25 for Cuba.
The total number of points won was also in Slovenia's favor – 110 against 93.
Despite the defeat, Cuba was more stable in defensive actions. The Caribbeans recorded 60 digs against 53 for the Slovenians and had an advantage in reception (94 against 78), as well as in setting (125 against 113).
Mozic was the top scorer in the match with 25 points. For Slovenia, Mujanovic also had a strong performance with 16 points. The best scorers for Cuba were Cardenas and Nivaldo, who finished with 14 points each.
The victory did not lead to changes in the world rankings. Slovenia retains its fifth position, and Cuba remains in 14th place in the world.

photo:volleyballworld.com