One of the biggest surprises since the beginning of this year's Women's Nations League happened in Osaka. 22nd in the world rankings, Thailand crushed world number two Brazil with a decisive 3:0 (25:15, 25:16, 25:17) in just over an hour of play. The success practically guarantees the Asians their place in the elite for the next season even before their last match against Turkey.
It is true that Brazil had already secured a place in the final tournament in Macao, and apparently, coach José Roberto Guimarães rested many of his starters before tomorrow's crucial clash with the USA for first place in the final standings of the preliminary phase. The winner of this match will receive a more favorable draw for the quarterfinals, but even with an experimental squad, such a loss against a team 20 places behind in the world rankings is a real sensation.
The USA rested on Saturday and will face Brazil as the leader in the standings. After the defeat to Thailand, the Brazilians remain second with an identical record of 9 wins, 2 losses, and 26 points, but the Americans have a better set ratio (29:11 versus 29:15), which keeps them at the top before the direct clash between the two teams.
Thailand completely dominated in all elements. The Asians scored 43 points from attack against 33 for their opponent, recorded 6 successful blocks against 4, impressed with a total of 9 aces against just 1 for Brazil, and capitalized on 14 opponent errors. The final point ratio was telling – 72:48.
In defense and game organization, Thailand's superiority was also evident. The team finished with 72 digs against 64 for Brazil, 67 successful receptions against 46, and 102 excellent sets against 94.
The top scorers for Thailand were Thatdao with 15 points and Pimpichaya with 12, while for Brazil, Kisy finished with 11 and Lorena with 10 points.
Among the volleyball players who got a chance in Brazil's squad were Kisy, Lorena, Helena, Luzia, Rosamaria, Maiara, Macris, Roberta, Ana Cristina, Julia, Diana, and libero Natinha.
The success is extremely valuable for Thailand not only in terms of confidence but also for the standings. With this victory, the Asians can now calmly approach their last match against Turkey, as they have practically secured their stay in the Nations League through 2027. The win also brought a huge bonus in the world rankings. Thanks to the 3:0 victory over world number two Brazil, Thailand gained a total of 19.39 points for the FIVB ranking and made an impressive leap of five positions – from 22nd to 17th place in the world with a total of 189.27 points. Brazil lost the same number of points (19.39) but maintained its second place in the world rankings with a total of 413.62 points.