16-Nov, start time: 18:05, end time: 19:17 - Attendance: 6,480

KOR	0	21	19	17	-	-	57
BRA	3	25	25	25	-	-	75

Match Description:

Brazil in Dominant Mood with Opening Victory
Pre-tournament favorites Brazil made a strong start to their World Cup campaign at Site B in Nagano as they powered their way to a 3-0 victory over Korea.
On the evidence of this display, Brazil look in good shape to add the World Cup crown to the South American and World League titles won earlier in the year as they claimed a 25-21, 25-19, 25-17 win over the Asian Champions to the delight of their vocal fans.

The start of the opening set was a frantic affair with Korea matching the South Americans point for point, and attack for attack. Giovane Gavio and MIP Anderson Rodrigues caught the eye for Brazil while Lee Sun-Kyu and Yoon Kwan-Yeol produced some impressive offense for Korea.

But the Asians were unable to pressure Brazil's receivers with their serve, making too many unforced service errors as the South Americans edged into a 23-18 lead thanks to consecutive spikes from Rodrigo Santana.
Korea saved three set points but still started the second set a game down as Brazil began to unload their superior firepower while they continued to struggle with their service. Santana maintained a dominant block while the Koreans had no answer to the spiking of Rodrigues as Brazil forged a two-set lead.

Although Korea enjoyed a bright start to the third, Brazilian captain Nalbert Bitencourt began to impose himself more on the game while Gustavo Endres proved a difficult obstacle with his defense at the net as Brazil closed out the game.

Comments:

"I'd like to congratulate the Koreans for their fighting spirit and excellent defense. We were a little anxious at the start of the match and they managed to pressure us with the speed of their play. But then we got used to their tempo and managed to match it. Now we have to start thinking about tomorrow. We've only got 24 hours to prepare for our match with France - for us that is our next final."

BERNADO REZENDE
Head coach, Brazil

"Korea have a lot of good players, but Brazil produced a good performance. This (MIP) award should be shared with the whole team. Now I just want to rest and start thinking about our game with France."
ANDERSON RODRIGUES
Brazil, MIP

"I now have an impression of the Brazilian team, they manage to get great height and power in their game. Now we realize quite how strong and powerful they are. We were unable to compete enough in the second and third sets. But we have learned a lot and we will now prepare for our next game."
CHA JOO-HYUN
Head coach, Korea

"It was an honor and a privilege to play against the world's number one ranked team. We will learn a great deal from this match, though there was a difference between the abilities of both teams. We wanted to play at our best but we were unable to do so."
CHOI TAE-WOONG
Captain, Korea

Official Result:

Match statistics (P-2) - PDF