After missing the last three editions, Czechia made a triumphant return to the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, pulling off a gritty 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 sweep of higher-ranked Serbia to open its 2025 campaign on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Czechs, ranked World No.21, last saw action in the World Championship in 2010 in Italy, where they finished 10th.
Fifteen years later, they reintroduced themselves with a statement win that earned them three points and the early lead in Pool H.
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“I’m very happy for my team because they played a very good game on the same level as Serbia. I hope this will play a big role in building our confidence moving into the next matches,” said Czechia head coach Jiri Novak after his squad stunned Serbia in one hour and 39 minutes.
While the match ended in straight sets, each frame was tightly contested. The Czechs, however, proved steadier in the clutch and executed when it mattered most.
Czechia held only a slim edge in attacks, 45-43, and even trailed in blocks, 3-5. But they delivered four service aces while Serbia had none, and the Serbians’ 23 errors — six more than Czechia’s 17 — proved costly in such a close contest.
“It was an amazing game for us. Our team has been waiting for this kind of moment for a long time,” said Patrik Indra, who maximized his opportunities by converting 14 of 22 spike attempts to finish with 14 points.
“We haven’t played in the World Championship in 15 years, and we don’t get many big games like this. Before the match, we told ourselves we had to give our best.”
Lukas Vasina added 13 points, seven of which came in the decisive third set, while Jan Galabov chipped in nine markers.
Czechia now faces a bigger challenge on Tuesday when it clashes with World No.3 Brazil at 10:00 AM in the same venue.
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Serbia, meanwhile, will try to bounce back against China at 9:00 PM.
Pavle Perić top-scored for the Serbians with 14 points but found himself held to just two in the third set.
#WATCH: Patrik Indra takes pride in Czechia’s return to the World Championship after 15 years! 🇨🇿🏐
📹 @seol_gongchan /Tiebreaker Times#MWCH2025 pic.twitter.com/8cvp58QGeH
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 14, 2025
