Theo Faure propelled the reigning Olympic champion France to a closing victory, completing a comeback against Brazil in five sets, 25-23, 27-29, 13-25, 25-19, 18-16 on Sunday, the final day of the preliminary phase of the 2024 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League.
France finished with an 8-4 win-loss record, advancing to the Final Round in Lodz, Poland, from June 27 to 30.
The 24-year-old opposite hitter, who started for head coach Andrea Giani in this match, made amends for an earlier service error at the second match point.
He scored a back-row kill to put the Roosters into the last point of the match.
Quentin Jouffroy, who had seven service errors before the final delivery, erased all those miscues and delivered the match-clinching point, ironically, with a service ace.
Giani was pleased with how his players – specifically his second unit that started this match – delivered a win to end the qualification round of the tournament.
He stated, “It is always important for the players to play their best because it is important to always play for the win. Every match, we always try to win and improve our level.
“I’m happy because our starters, which is the second lineup, played very well against a tough team, which is Brazil,” he added.
After two tough sets that went opposite ways, Brazil gained a huge advantage in the third, capitalizing on France’s lapses in defense, especially during long rallies.
Adriano Fernandes, who got the starting nod for the South Americans, scored four of his 11 attack points in that frame, while Alan Souza also finished with four.
France, with libero Jenia Grebennikov anchoring the defense, executed better in transition in the fourth set with Faure leading the way to force the decider.
Faure went a point shy of a 30-marker output with 29, built on 25 kills, one block, and three aces. Kevin Tillie added 14 points on 12 attacks, one block, and one ace.
Brazil, which ended with a 6-6 record, also moved on to the Final Round after collecting 21 points.
Lucarelli Souza led the charge with 18 points on 14 spikes, three blocks, and a service ace. Meanwhile, Alan added 15 points on seven kills, six blocks, and two service aces.
