Simon and Leal
With a four-set victory in Game 5 of the 2017/18 Superliga playoff semifinals against No.4 Taubaté, at home, partially 16-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20, the top-seed Cruzeiro advanced to the finals for the eighth consecutive time. They will fight for their sixth gold medal, fifth straight.
Cruzeiro closed the series by a 3-2 only after losing the first two clashes. The team from Minas Gerais state will face third-seed Sesi-SP for the title with the final being played in the best-of-two format. In case each finalist wins a duel, the decision on the champions will be made in the golden set.
The Cuban Robertlandy Simón topped Cruzeiro with 18 points. Ne made 5 kill blocks, just as much as Yoandy Leal, who was not suspended for the match despite the request of Taubaté. The Argentinean Nicolás Uriarte served 4 aces. Wallace Souza scored 16 points for Taubaté, while Otávio Pinto recorded 5 kill blocks.
Despedida do Dante, jogador do Taubaté, que encerrou a carreira e se emocionou. #trsuperliga pic.twitter.com/GEISwhn3a1
— Luiz Martini (@luizmartini18) 21 April 2018
Emotional farewells
The two emotional farewells occurred at the end of Game 5.The elimination of Taubaté marked the last game in the professional career of Dante Amaral, who recently announced his retirement at the end of the season. He received honors from both teams.
In addition to him, Leal took the microphone to announce that he is saying goodbye to Cruzeiro after spending six years in the club. The Cuban-born greeted the fans and thanked them for the moments he spent playing at the gymnasium Riacho. Leal will defend the colors of Italian team Cucine Lube Civitanova next season.
To see complete results, stats, and standings, visit our BRA National Championship 2017/2018 / Male / Seniors page.
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