Brazil dethroned the reigning champion in the Women's Volleyball Nations League, Italy, and qualified for the tournament final. In the first semifinal in Macao, José Roberto Guimarães's team overcame the "Azzurre" 3:2 (21:25, 25:21, 26:24, 21:25, 15:12) after an extremely dramatic match. The South Americans reached their fifth final in history and will attempt to win their first VNL title on Sunday, while Julio Velasco's team will have to settle for a bronze medal match.
The semifinal lived up to expectations as a clash between two of the strongest teams in the world. The game was completely even at the start, but already in the first set, Brazil showed they had prepared a special tactic against Ekaterina Antropova. Italy's opposite hitter, who had been the Azzurre's top scorer in the Final Eight until then, was frequently stopped by the organized Brazilian block. However, this opened up more opportunities for Myriam Sylla and Sarah Fahr, who led Italy to a 25:21 success. Towards the end of the set, Velasco also brought in Paola Egonu, who immediately contributed important points.
Brazil responded like champions in the second set. José Roberto's team started much more aggressively, took the lead in the early rallies, and thanks to stable reception, managed to organize a series of successful counter-attacks. Ana Cristina and Rosamaria were the main scorers, while the Italians made more unforced errors, allowing the South Americans to equalize after a 25:21 win.
The third set turned out to be the most dramatic. Italy repeatedly demonstrated excellent defense and managed to erase a deficit, equalizing at 20:20, with Nervini being among the most active in the decisive rallies. Nevertheless, Brazil remained the calmer team at the end. Julia Bergmann took the initiative in attack, and her successful block against Egonu brought the 26:24 victory and a 2:1 set lead.
After being pushed against the wall, Italy reacted in the best possible way. Velasco kept Egonu in the game instead of Antropova, and setter Alessia Orro excellently diversified the attack. Danesi and Fahr dominated at the net; the "Azzurre" took the lead at the beginning of the fourth set and, without losing the initiative, won it 25:21, sending the semifinal to a tie-break.
The decisive fifth set started nervously for both teams, but Brazil was the first to find their rhythm and took a 9:5 lead. Italy showed character and, with a series of four consecutive points, restored parity at 9:9. In the most important moments, however, the Brazilians were calmer. Ana Cristina, Julia Bergmann, and Rosamaria executed the key attacks, and the South Americans closed the match 15:12 to secure their place in the final.
The statistics also confirmed the immense equality on the court. Brazil had a minimal advantage in attack – 64 successful attacks against 63 – as well as in serves – 4:3, while blocking was completely even – 12:12. The Italians gained one more point from opponent errors (29:28), but the overall point balance was also in favor of the South Americans – 108:107. Both teams also recorded an equal number of digs in defense – 109 each, which once again highlighted how contested the semifinal was. The top scorer in the match was Ana Cristina with 23 points (22 in attack and 1 ace), while Bergmann and Rosamaria added 15 points each to Brazil's success. For Italy, Nervini and Egonu finished with 16 points each, Sylla scored 12, and captain Danesi contributed 11 points, including 4 successful blocks.
Thus, Brazil took sweet revenge for their defeat to Italy in the 2025 VNL final, when they lost 1:3. A year later, the roles were reversed – the South Americans dethroned the reigning champion and are just one victory away from their first title in the tournament.

photo:volleyballworld.com