Brazil returned to winning ways with a hard-fought five-set victory over Canada, while Japan remained the only unbeaten team in the men’s Volleyball Nations League after an impressive comeback against Olympic champions France.
Brazil edged Canada 3-2 to snap a three-match losing streak and improve to 5-3 in the standings. Adriano Fernandes Cavalcante scored a team-high 17 points, while Canada’s Sharone Vernon-Evans led all scorers with 19. Despite the victory, Brazil remains just outside the Finals qualification places, while Canada slipped closer to relegation after their fifth tie-break defeat of the season.
Japan produced the performance of the day in Orleans, rallying from two sets down to defeat France 3-2 and extend its perfect record to 8-0. Captain Yuki Ishikawa led the comeback with 27 points as Japan saved three match points in a dramatic fourth set before completing the reverse sweep.
The United States climbed to second in the standings with a 3-1 win over Serbia behind 14 points from Matthew Anderson, while Poland recovered after losing a record-breaking 98-point opening set (48-50) to defeat Argentina 3-1. Wilfredo Leon starred with 27 points for the defending VNL champions.
Italy came from behind to beat Slovenia 3-1 and move into sixth place, powered by Alessandro Bovolenta’s 21 points. Bulgaria ended Ukraine’s winning streak with a four-set victory, led by Aleksandar Nikolov’s match-high 26 points.
Türkiye completed week with a straight-sets win over Belgium, Iran boosted their survival hopes by defeating Cuba 3-1, and Germany closed the day with a 3-1 victory over Finals hosts China.
Sunday’s Results
- Brazil def. Canada 3-2 (25-17, 23-25, 28-26, 22-25, 17-15)
- Japan def. France 3-2 (28-30, 19-25, 25-17, 35-33, 15-12)
- United States def. Serbia 3-1 (25-12, 25-23, 24-26, 25-17)
- Poland def. Argentina 3-1 (48-50, 26-24, 25-19, 25-20)
- Italy def. Slovenia 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-20)
- Bulgaria def. Ukraine 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-23, 25-17)
- Türkiye def. Belgium 3-0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-17)
- Iran def. Cuba 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 30-28)
- Germany def. China 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19)