A remarkable scene at the Men's Volleyball World Championship! Even with 6 points, the team is eliminated; the world’s third-ranked team and China’s men’s volleyball team both head home together.

On September 19th Beijing time, the group phase of the Men's Volleyball World Championship ended, producing a strange outcome: Brazil, with 6 points, was knocked out and had to return home after the group matches. It’s like suffering silently with no words to explain the pain. This occurrence is very rare, and now that Brazil is out, they must be filled with mixed feelings, blaming themselves for only winning 3-1 against China rather than a full 3-0 sweep!

This World Championship group stage was full of upsets, with top ten ranked teams like Cuba, France, Japan, and Brazil all being eliminated. But the most surprising was the exit of Brazil, ranked third in the world, who got knocked out despite earning 6 points and winning two matches. It’s truly unbelievable — a cooked duck flew away, and the meat that was about to be eaten was spit out!

Brazil won their first two group matches, collecting 6 points and looking set to advance. However, in the third round, Brazil was completely overwhelmed by Serbia, losing 0-3. This result not only ended China’s hopes early but also put Brazil in a dire situation: if the Czech Republic swept China 3-0 in the third round, Brazil would be eliminated. In other words, Brazil’s chance to reach the round of 16 depended on China’s performance against the Czech Republic. As long as China won at least one set against the Czech Republic, Brazil still had hope to advance!

But the Czech men’s volleyball team was not going to miss this golden opportunity. Although pushed to the brink in the first set, they managed to win 26-24. Gaining confidence, the Czech team launched fierce attacks against China, who struggled to defend. China quickly lost the next two sets 19-25 and 18-25, suffering a 0-3 sweep by the Czech Republic. This marked China’s third consecutive loss and broke Brazil’s hopes, as both teams were eliminated and sent home!

In fact, Brazil’s elimination can only be blamed on their own lack of strength. Losing 0-3 to Serbia sealed their fate; even winning one set could have secured their advancement. Relying on China’s performance was unrealistic, especially since China’s team is simply too weak and unable to beat the Czech Republic. There was really no other way!

Written by / Sports Stories