Inside scoop of Cuba’s win over Serbia in the 1st semi-final of FIVB Volleyball Championship
The Caribbean men’s volleyball team from Cuba proved their steel against Serbia in the first semi-final of the FIVB Men’s World Championship, which had an amazing run from 25th September to 10th October, 2010. The semi-final clashes
happened in the Palalottomatica sports hall in Rome, Italy. The semi-finalist teams descended in the court on Saturday and demonstrated heated competitions.
Cuba came strong on Serbia and achieved a sensational five-set victory. Cuban hotshots posted a score of 3-2 (22-25, 25-17, 31-29, 22-25, 16-14) and secured their place in the final showdown.
Quite ironically, Cuba started the campaign with a label of underdogs but the team had a firm attitude to catch the limelight. The world number 8, Cuba lost to the Serbs in the second round of the championship. Serbia also kicked them out in the bronze medal
match in World League Championship this year. Nonetheless, Orlando Blackwood’s team crushed the tough contender Serbia and conquered the semi-final match.
Match overview
Serbia had a better record against Cuba, and they were determined to crush their opponent in the early sets. Anyhow, the situation turned out to a little surprising for Serbia as Cubans defended their position and created a lot of buzz in the game.
First Set
The Serbs opened the first set with Dragan Stankovic’s blazing serves. In addition, Milijkovic put his magic in the game and scored two points on counterattacks. Cuba resisted to Serbia’s lead and incorporated Leal Hidalgo’s powerful spikes and took the
score to an even point. They tied the score at 7-7 before Leon hit a killing ace and raised the score to 8-7 for Cuba. Serbia, on the other hand, was equipped with experienced centre players. The explosive attacking abilities of Miljkovic and Stankovic made
it quite difficult for Cuban to keep their lead.
Nokola Kovacevic contributed six crucial points in Serbian score with his powerful shots. Cuba tried to chase the score but failed to stop Serbians from winning the set at 25-22.
Second Set
After dropping the first set, Cuba put more effort in the game. They covered the gaps and strengthened their defence. The Cuban opened the second set with convincing shots and built a lead of 8-6 after the first technical timeout. Lean exhibited extraordinary
game and catapulted killing aces in Serbian court. They stretched the lead to 10-6, while Serbia desperately tried to return in the game. Cuba attained the commanding position and put more pressure on Serbia. The flawless attacks and tricky bump-passes helped
them raise their score to 13-8. Serbia put up good fight but could cope with the physical dominance of Cubans. The top-guns of Cuba, Simon and Raydel Hierrezuelo formed a great chemistry and dominated the rival side with a display of outstanding game. Serbia
collapsed after scoring 17 points and lost the set to Cuba.
Third Set
Cuban team took full advantage of the victory in second set. They kept an upper-hand on Serbs in the third set as well. The unstoppable spikes and excellent defence maintained their reputation. They went for 8-6 lead over Serbs in the early minutes. Serbia’s
maturity and experience became evident after the second technical timeout, when they took the score to 16-15. Somehow, Cuba focused on hitting stronger shots and once again made a difference. They stretched their score to the verge of victory. Serbia lost
another set with a close difference to two points at 31-29.
Fourth Set
The situation got more interesting in the fourth set. Serbia came up with aggressive attacks and didn’t let Cubans stay on their feet. They built a lead of 8-5, quickly jumped to 16-14 and further extended it to 21-19. Cuba trailed behind in the chase. It
was a great comeback for Serbia, which enabled them to capture the fourth set 25-22.
Fifth Set
The final set was an incredible show of determination of both contenders. The two sides brought out their best but Cuba was the lucky one to celebrate victory. They scored 16-14 and clinched a spot in the final encounter. Cuba qualified for the final of
FIVB Men’s World Championship since 1990.
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