Italian powerhouse Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia brought an early end to Sada Cruzeiro’s title defense at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, sweeping the Brazilian champions in straight sets.
In a Pool B encounter at the Mangueirinho Arena, Perugia delivered a 3–0 victory (25–19, 25–23, 25–21), eliminating the five-time world champions from semifinal contention. The result marked Perugia’s third win of the pool stage, ensuring the European champions finished top of their group with a perfect record.
Outside hitter Kamil Semeniuk starred for the Italians, leading all scorers with 16 points. Despite a valiant effort from Welinton Oppenkoski, who scored 14 points, Cruzeiro were unable to halt Perugia’s momentum. The defeat means the Brazilian club will miss the semifinals for only the third time in 13 appearances, an uncommon outcome for one of the most decorated teams in Club World Championship history. Perugia now advance to the semifinals, remaining unbeaten in the competition they previously won in 2022 and 2023, while Cruzeiro’s campaign in Belém comes to a surprising close.
