Drazen Luburic delivered a masterclass performance, propelling Serbia past Brazil in a straight-sets shocker, 25-22, 25-20, 25-22, to secure a spot in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday.
After a shaky start to their campaign with a loss to Czechia, Serbia roared back with back-to-back victories in Pool H, with Luburic setting the tone.
The towering outside hitter tallied 17 kills and two aces for a game-high 19 points, asserting Serbia’s dominance from start to finish.
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Pavle Peric complemented Luburic with 15 points, delivering 13 kills, one block, and an ace. Meanwhile, Miran Kujundzic chipped in 10 points through five attacks, four blocks, and an ace.
“It’s a huge win for us. I’m not sure we would have performed this well if we had beaten Czechia. Probably we would have been a little relaxed, so in a way, it’s a good thing. We chose the hard way, but luckily, we made it through,” Luburic reflected.
He added, “It was a great performance, definitely, as we saw on the court, but I’m not sure if they showed all of their qualities, of course. But we also knew how hard we worked this summer.”
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The upset leaves Brazil out of control for the remaining Pool H spot, despite their 2-1 record. Czechia now has the chance to snatch it by defeating China in straight sets later Thursday at 9:00 PM.
Brazil struggled to find offensive rhythm, with Alan Souza the lone bright spot, scoring 10 points. Judson Nunes contributed nine.
#WATCH: Serbia’s Dražen Luburić says, “We wouldn’t have performed like this if we hadn’t lost to Czechia”! 🏐🇷🇸
📹 @seol_gongchan /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/ewzYlZsSFL
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 18, 2025
