Iran edged by Brazil in pre-VNL warm-up
Iran surrendered a two-set lead to suffer a 3-2 defeat against Brazil in a warm-up friendly in Brasília ahead of the upcoming Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Italian head coach Roberto Piazza’s men won the opening two sets 36-34 and 25-23, but the South American powerhouse rallied to take the next three, 25-23, 25-21 and 28-26.
The two sides will square off again on the opening day of the VNL preliminary phase in the Brazilian capital on Wednesday.
Despite the defeat, Piazza was pleased with his team’s performance against one of the sport’s global heavyweights.
“We agreed beforehand that the match would be played over five 25-point sets, and both teams used different lineups throughout the match,” Piazza said.
“I was a little disappointed with the fourth set because it was the only set that Brazil won by a wide margin. On the other hand, I’m pleased because we managed to play a normal level of volleyball against Brazil.
“Brazil is a very good team. We know they are ranked higher than us in the world rankings. But we can improve – we can improve a lot.
“Right now, I feel good about where we are, but from tomorrow onward, we must focus entirely on the Volleyball Nations League,” added the Italian.
A demanding opening week awaits Piazza’s men, who will face Bulgaria on Thursday before taking on Argentina and Belgium later at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium.
Iran will then travel to Orléans, France, for the second week of competition, beginning with a blockbuster clash against host nation and reigning Olympic champion France at the CO’Met Arena on June 24, followed by matches against the United States, Japan and Cuba.
The third and final week of the preliminary phase will see Iran take on Ukraine in Belgrade on July 15 before further encounters with Germany, Slovenia and Türkiye.
The top eight teams in the 18-team standings will advance to the VNL Finals, which will begin with the quarterfinals in Ningbo Beilun, China, on July 29. China has already secured a place in the Finals as host nation.