Vietnam Volleyball Almost Overthrew Qatar in AVC Nations Cup Quarterfinals

(NLDO) – Competing fairly with defending champion Qatar, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team made a strong impression despite losing after 5 games in the AVC Nations Cup quarter-finals.

Having quickly secured a ticket to the quarterfinals after a 3-0 victory in the opening match of the AVC Nations Cup against New Zealand, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team then accepted defeat in the same three-set losing streak against South Korea, a strong candidate for the championship at this tournament, in the match for the top spot in the group.

Vietnam team faces defending champion Qatar in AVC Nations Cup quarter-finals

The above two results brought the Vietnamese team into the quarter-finals with an extremely difficult draw when they had to face the top team in Group A, Qatar - the reigning champion of the AVC Nations Cup.

Not only is the Vietnamese team (ranked 55th in the world) rated lower than Qatar in terms of skill and class, it is also inferior to its opponents in terms of courage and experience in continental and world competitions, not to mention a certain loss in height and strength.

Ngoc Thuan and his teammates unexpectedly won in the first game.

Facing an opponent who was superior in every aspect, the Vietnamese team had many moments in the first set to take the lead in points. Even when Qatar thought they had won, Coach Tran Dinh Tien's students still saved the point spectacularly and won unexpectedly 31-29.

The real difficulty came to Quan Trong Nghia, Nguyen Van Quoc Duy and his teammates in the second game when Qatar used all their strength in the attacks, while organizing extremely effective blocking. The lightning smashes of players like Renan, Raimi and Ibrahim brought Qatar a 25-21 victory in this game and they continued to advance, ending the third game with a score difference of 25-15.

Striker Renan Ribeiro dominates with the height and strength of a naturalized player

At this point, the West Asian team thought they could end the match in four games, but their complacency made them pay the price.

The explosive performance of Quoc Duy and Truong The Khai on the attack line helped the Vietnamese team come from behind to win 25-22, leveling the score at 2-2 after four thrilling matches.

Quoc Duy played explosively with 21 points in the match.

In the decisive match, the Vietnamese team continued to fiercely pursue each point, however, Qatar showed their class as the defending champion and completely overwhelmed their opponent in every aspect.

The Vietnamese team accepted defeat 12-15, giving the right to continue to the semi-finals to the defending champion of the tournament.

Qatar won after five games lasting three hours

With a 3-2 victory (29-31, 25-21, 25-15, 22-25, 15-12), Qatar won the right to continue to the semi-finals, waiting to compete with Pakistan. The Vietnamese men's volleyball team continued their journey at the AVC Nations Cup with a match in the 5-8 qualifying round against Indonesia on the evening of June 22.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bong-chuyen-viet-nam-suyt-lat-do-qatar-tai-tu-ket-avc-nations-cup-196250622061552097.htm