Nancy Turner
Jul 04, 2023 - 06:05

Japan holds off China in intense 5-set match, Italy secures victory against Brazil in VNL Manila opener

Japan defeats China in thrilling volleyball match at Men's Nations League.

In a thrilling match that kicked off the Volleyball Men's Nations League (VNL) Manila leg, Japan, ranked sixth in the world, narrowly avoided disaster and fended off an upset bid by China, ranked 22nd. The match ended with a score of 24-26, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12 in favor of Japan.

Japan secured their ninth consecutive win of the tournament with a crucial 3-0 run that turned a 5-all tie into an 8-5 lead, thanks to a drop by Ran Takahashi. They extended their lead to 10-6 after an attack error by Li Yongzhen, but China fought back and came within two points at 13-11 with a cross-court attack by Zhai Dejun.

A quick play by Akihiro Yamauchi gave Japan match point at 14-11, but China managed to score a last-gasp cross-court hit to make it 14-12. However, Kento Miyaura sealed the victory for Japan with a powerful cross-court kill between the two defenders, completing their comeback bid.

In the fourth set, Japan found themselves trailing 22-21 due to an attack error, but China made an error of their own to level the score. Japanese captain Yuki Ishikawa then gave his team a 23-22 advantage, followed by an off-the-block hit by Miyaura. The set ended with an attack error, setting the stage for a winner-take-all fifth set.

Ishikawa led Japan with 19 points, while Miyaura contributed 15 and Takahashi fired 14. Zhang Jingyin scored a team-high 21 points for China, with Yu adding 17.

In the opening match of the day, Italy, ranked third in the world, overcame a slow start to defeat fourth-ranked Brazil with a score of 23-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21. Italy sealed the victory with a massive 6-2 run, highlighted by Daniele Lavia's service ace that broke the 19-all deadlock. This win improved Italy's record to 6-3 in the tournament.

Yuri Romano led Italy with a game-high 20 points, including 16 attacks and four service aces, while Alessandro Michieletto contributed 17 points. Romano expressed his team's happiness with the win and emphasized its importance for their qualification in the post-match media availability.

Italy took the lead after a dominant performance in the third set, winning it 25-15. Henrique Dantas Nobrega Honorato was the leading scorer for Brazil with 15 points, followed by Ricardo Lucarelli Souza with 11 points.