In today's friendly match between Bulgaria and Japan, fans witnessed an episode that has already become a real hit on social media. The main character was the star of the 'Samurai' Ran Takahashi, who demonstrated an unconventional and risky defense, saving the ball with his foot.

In the rally, which quickly spread online, after a block by the Bulgarians, the ball went out of reach of the Japanese. Takahashi, risking injury, dove and stretched out his leg to bring the ball back into play. After a subsequent pass of the saved ball, it landed in our court, but unfortunately, Moni Nikolov failed to complete the counter-attack, and instead of a point for Bulgaria, the rally ended in favor of the Asians.

The hall erupted in frenetic applause, and the audience appreciated the courage and technique of the Japanese receiver.

The video first appeared on the profile of the French pageVolleyActuon X (formerly Twitter). From there, the clip was shared hundreds of times and gathered thousands of likes, with comments being unanimous – 'volleyball magic' and 'football savior in the hall'.

The friendly match developed dynamically. Bulgaria's national team showed character and managed to take a 2:1 lead in sets, but allowed the hosts to make a comeback and ultimately lost 2:3.

photo: TV screen