The Chinese women's volleyball team is in an awkward position! They lost 1-3 to France, yet France was crushed 0-3 by Brazil, resulting in three spots in the semifinals!

On September 4th, Beijing time, the women's volleyball World Championship quarterfinals continued with a highlight match just concluded: Brazil faced the surprise package France. Ultimately, Brazil swept France 3-0 in straight sets, securing their fifth consecutive win and becoming the third team to advance to the semifinals. Next, they will face the world No. 1 Italy for a spot in the final, a true clash of the titans. The semifinalists are Japan, Italy, and Brazil!

Brazil is ranked second in the world, finished as runner-up in this season's Volleyball Nations League, and is one of the favorites to win this World Championship. They narrowly avoided an upset by France in the group stage but managed to come from behind and win 3-2, claiming first place to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, Brazil easily defeated Puerto Rico 3-0, securing their fourth consecutive victory. In the quarterfinals, they met France again, who had caused a major upset by eliminating China. It's a rare situation in this championship to see two group opponents meeting again in the quarterfinals. It remains to be seen if France can create an even bigger surprise this time!

From the start, France played with great tenacity, engaging Brazil in a fierce back-and-forth battle. The score remained tight, coming down to crucial points. Brazil, with more experience, edged out the first set 27-25. The second set was equally contested, with Brazil unable to pull away and France staying close. The set reached critical points again; France even had set point but failed to capitalize. Brazil steadied themselves and won 33-31, leading 2-0 in sets. After two narrow losses, France’s confidence took a hit. In the third set, they visibly lost momentum as Brazil surged ahead relentlessly, winning 25-19 and completing a 3-0 sweep. Although France lost, their progress was clearly visible to the naked eye!

Looking at France, who defeated China 3-1, only to be cleanly swept 3-0 by Brazil, the Chinese team finds itself in an embarrassing situation. This shows that our Chinese women’s volleyball team’s strength is indeed lacking; we don’t have a decisive player to clinch key points. At critical moments, we fail to break through, which is the main difference between us and top-tier teams like Italy, Brazil, and Poland!

Written by / Sports Novel