The Ukrainian men's national volleyball team defeated Brazil in the 2026 Nations League, achieving a historic victory, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine reported on Thursday, writes UNN.
Details
The Ukrainian men's national volleyball team created one of the biggest sensations of the current Nations League season. In the opening match of the second game week, held in Ljubljana, the "blue-yellows" confidently defeated the Brazilian team — three-time Olympic champions, bronze medalists of last year, the third-ranked team in the world
The match ended with a score of 3:1 (29:27, 22:25, 25:22, 25:21). This was Brazil's first defeat of the current season, which cost them the lead in the tournament standings.
The first set was tense: after an even start, the Ukrainians gained a minimal advantage and snatched a victory in a nail-biter — 29:27. In the second set, the Brazilians managed to seize the initiative, reducing the deficit in the score — 22:25.
The third set again went in a tight battle, but towards the end the Ukrainian volleyball players acted more precisely — 25:22. In the fourth set, Raúl Lozano's team maintained the initiative, confidently bringing the match to a historic triumph — 25:21.
This match became special due to the return of Oleh Plotnytskyi to the national team lineup. After a long absence, the outside hitter immediately became the top scorer among the Ukrainians with 19 points. A significant contribution to the victory was also made by opposite hitter Vasyl Tupchii (17 points) and outside hitter Ilya Kovaliov (14 points), while middle blocker and captain Yuriy Semeniuk added 10 points to the team's tally, four of which came from blocks.
Thanks to this victory, Ukraine rose to an interim sixth place in the tournament standings, and also earned important points for the world ranking.
Ukraine's next match will be against Italy. The game will take place today, June 25, at 17:30 Kyiv time.