The US national team secured its participation in the 1/8 finals of the World Championship in the Philippines after a decisive 3:0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) victory against the pleasant surprise of the tournament – Portugal. Karch Kiraly's legendary boys played a strong match and closed the game in just over an hour.
Thus, the Americans will await the last matches on Wednesday to find out their opponent in the eliminations. It will be one of the teams in our Group E, where Bulgaria already has a secure spot, and the second participant will be determined after the direct clash Germany – Slovenia. At the same time, in Group D, the matches Cuba – USA and Portugal – Colombia will determine who will accompany the Americans further.
Match Statistics
| Team | Attack | Block | Serve | Opponent Errors | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 40 | 8 | 4 | 23 | 75 |
| Portugal | 36 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 58 |
The Americans win convincingly thanks to their stronger block and a much larger number of errors they forced from their opponent – a total of 23 against 13. This is a key factor for the difference in final points (75:58).
Game Elements
| Team | Digs | Reception | Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 52 | 45 | 75 |
| Portugal | 49 | 68 | 91 |
Interesting point
– Portugal had better reception and more set balls, but this did not translate into a result due to weaker attack efficiency and difficulties against the American block.
Top scorers
| USA | Points | Portugal | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garcia (No. 9) | 12 | Lourenco (No. 12) | 12 |
| Ewert (No. 29) | 12 | J. Pinto (No. 13) | 9 |
The even distribution of points in the USA squad shows the team's collective strength. For Portugal, Lourenco was once again the leader, but the lack of a strong second scorer weighed heavily.
Photo:volleyballworld.com
