Thais go down fighting to Brazilians
Loss follows brilliant team effort that delivers three valuable points in a memorable Grand Prix Pool D victory over Germany
Thailand, buoyed by their fantastic victory over Germany, put in a great effort to snatch a set from mighty Brazil before losing 3-1 in their second match in Pool D of the World Grand Prix women’s volleyball event in Sao Paulo last night.
World No.2 Brazil won 25-23, 20-25, 25-14, 25-19 to extend their winning streak against the Thais in the Grand Prix to 11 matches.
Thailand can take heart from the defeat as they managed to get their only second set against Brazil in 11 meetings in the World Grand Prix.
The opening set was a close affair. As the defending champions took time to settle down, the Thai women pounced on every given opportunity but still narrowly lost 25-23.
Thailand were in a fine touch as they captured the second set from their mighty rivals 25-20, but the Brazilians then made amends by scoring impressive 25-14 and 25-19 wins in the next two sets to wrap up the match 3-1.
Thailand play their last Pool D match against Belgium today and are hoping to win the encounter.
On Friday, Thailand shrugged aside bitter memories of the dismal 2015 World Grand Prix home leg last week with a scintillating show that earned them a memorable 3-0 triumph over world No.9 Germany.
Playing t heir opening match of the second week, world No.12 Thailand had an impressive start and improved with every passing minute as they upstaged Germany in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-16) at Ibirapuera Gymnasium.
This is only the second time that Thailand have defeated the European side in their nine meetings in the event.
The result has given the Thai women spikers a glimmer of hope of qualifying for the final stage of the Grand Prix or at least retaining their place in the top flight.
They now have five points after four matches, while Germany have three, thanks to their win over the Dominican Republic a week ago.
Crediting his players for their brilliant performance, Thailand coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai said the margin of victory did not reflect the reality as it was a tough match for his team.
“This win was the result of some great teamwork,” the coach said.
“We were physically disadvantaged because the German players are strong and taller. To counter this, we used fast spikes and that worked well for us.”
In contrast, his German counterpart Luciano Pedulla conceded that it was his team’s worst ever performance.
“Since I have been coaching the team, it is the worst match we have played at this level,” he said.
“We played really bad. I don’t understand why that happened and can’t even put my finger on what made us perform the way we did today.
“Our serve was not good and we lacked focus and that probably was because Thailand were lightening fast today.”
Thailand captain Wilavan Apinyapong, who is taking part in her first competition in Brazil, said: “The key was to play as fast as we could so that the Germans did not get a chance to employ blocking formations.”
Germany captain Margareta Kozuch, meanwhile, said: “We were a little messy tactically. We are ashamed but we need to move on and look forward to play better in our remaining matches.”
Brazil have five wins in as many matches in this year’s World Grand Prix including a straight-set victory over Belgium on Friday.
Thailand’s best accomplishment in the tournament has been a fourth-place finish recorded in the 2012 edition.
They are endeavouring to avoid finishing at the bottom of the 12-team competition to escape relegation to a lower division next year.