Japan saved their best for last to rally past France 24-26, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13 last night in the 2017 FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship at Sports City in Riffa.
After twice going down a set, the Japanese tenaciously fought back in the most decisive stretch to complete their mighty comeback and register their second victory in as many games in Pool B.
France could not match the fast-paced style of their rivals and suffered their first defeat in three contests, despite leading late in the contest.
“It was a very very tough match,” said Japan head coach Hiroshi Honda. “We played with good defence, and our blocking was key.
“Our goal now is to play at a high level in every game and then we can start to think of success in qualification.”
Japan skipper Kento Miyaura led his team with 22 points to go with two blocks. Middle blocker Shunichiro Sato was also played a big role, scoring 18 points, registering five blocks and serving three aces.
Mahiro Saeki chipped in with another 17 points for the Japanese, while Tatsunori Otsuka finished with 11 points.
In yesterday’s other Pool B contest, Cuba scored their first victory in three matches following hard-earned 21-25, 25-22, 25-9, 21-25, 15-10 win over defending champions Poland.
Jose Carlos Gonzalez top scored for Cuba with 22 points. He also had six blocks. Teammate Luis Serrano had 11 points and a monster nine blocks.
“It was very different the way my boys played today,” said Cuba head coach Jesus Lopez. “This is the way we have been training for one year.
“The concentration in the game today was good. Our service was better. We received much better. Our libero was better than yesterday and the first day. All these things were in our game today. It is all in our head. We have to win; we don’t have anything else.”
In Pool A, the USA made it two wins out of two after beating Puerto Rico 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22 to continue their fine start to the competition.
Samuel Lewis led a balanced attack from the Americans, who had six players finish with six points or more. Lewis had 14 points including three blocks and three aces.
Jonathan Bowles and Joel Schneidmiller added another 13 goals apiece. They also had two blocks each.
In the other Pool A clash, Egypt and Tunisia ---
In Pool C, Korea beat Tunisia 26-28, 25-20, 25-21, 27-25 and Argentina comfortably ousted Chile 25-23, 25-13, 25-22.
In Pool D, Iran toppled Mexico 25-19, 25-12, 25-18; and the Czech Republic claimed their second win in three outings following a well-deserved 22-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-22 triumph over China.
Action continues today with another eight matches scheduled to be played at the same venue. All are welcome to attend. Tickets can be bought at the gate at 500 fils apiece.