Alan leads his team with 18 points in four sets, Mozic top-scores 21
Brazil rejoice as VNL 2025 bronze medalists
Original Article (English)
Brazil earned the bronze medals in the men’s Volleyball Nations League 2025, their second podium result in the history of the competition, after they triumphed with the trophy in 2021. Their opponents in Sunday’s third place match in Ningbo, China – Slovenia – had to settle for the fourth place again, after doing so in 2021 and in 2024, and failed to collect their first VNL hardware.
In this match, the South American powerhouse was spearheaded by opposite Alan Souza, who put away a team-high 18 points towards a 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19) comeback victory. He spiked 16 points at a 52% success rate and scored one serving ace and one kill block to lead his team to success. Middle Matheus Bispo dos Santos led Brazil’s blocking effort and authored four of the team’s 11 kill blocks in the game. He added an ace to his tally, in addition to six points in attack at a 55% success rate, towards a total of 11 points.
In the first set, Brazil were ahead in the score for the most part, but in the money time, Slovenia turned things around to take the lead in the match. The South Americans stayed in control through most of the second set and managed to level the score.
Set three was probably key to the match. Slovenia failed to hold on to the five-point lead they had at 10-5 and allowed the opponents to catch up. This time the Brazilian players stayed more focused in the epilog of the set. After taking the lead at 23-22 for the first time in the set, they managed to close it in their favor and edge ahead in the match score. The fourth set was competitive only through 11-11. With five points in a row, Brazil broke away and never looked back.
“Super!” exclaimed Brazil’s setter Fernando Kreling (Cachopa) in front of the VBTV camera after the match. “It is just the beginning of a young team, a new team, and it is important to win a medal. We had a lot of hard moments and I think we are growing together. I can tell you that our legs are a little bit tired and obviously we faced a good team. Slovenia is one of the best teams in the world right now. So, it couldn’t be easy. We reached the quarterfinals last year, two years ago, three years ago… So, to make the final four is a big thing for us.”
The attack was the only scoring element, in which Slovenia slightly outperformed Brazil, with 49 kills against 48. Their offensive effort was fueled by 23-year-old star outside hitter Rok Mozic, who hit 18 points in swings and another three in blocks towards a match-high 21 points. Opposite Toncek Stern added another 10 points for Slovenia, all in offense.
Next in Ningbo is the grand finale of Volleyball Nations League 2025. The gold medal showdown between the world’s number one team Poland and reigning world champions Italy will serve off at 19:00 local time (11:00 UTC).
Перефразированный текст (Русский)
Алан Соуза привел бразильцев к победе над Словенией, обеспечив команде бронзовые медали мужской Лиги Наций по волейболу 2025 года.
Сборная Бразилии по волейболу завоевала бронзовые медали в мужской Лиге Наций (VNL) 2025 года, что стало их вторым призовым местом в истории турнира после победы в 2021 году. В воскресном матче за третье место, проходившем в Нинбо, Китай, их соперники из Словении вновь остались без наград, заняв четвертое место, как это было в 2021 и 2024 годах.
В этом поединке южноамериканскую команду вел за собой Алан Соуза, набравший 18 очков и сыгравший ключевую роль в волевой победе со счетом 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19). Он успешно атаковал 16 раз (52% реализации), добавил один эйс и один блок. Центральный блокирующий Матеус Биспо дос Сантос также внес значительный вклад, сделав четыре из одиннадцати блоков команды и набрав в общей сложности 11 очков (шесть атак с 55% реализации и один эйс).
В первом сете Бразилия большую часть времени лидировала, но в концовке Словения смогла перехватить инициативу и вырвать победу. Однако во втором сете бразильцы вернули себе контроль и уверенно сравняли счет.
Третий сет оказался решающим. Словения не смогла удержать преимущество в пять очков (10-5), позволив соперникам догнать себя. На этот раз бразильцы проявили больше концентрации в концовке сета. Впервые выйдя вперед при счете 23-22, они сумели довести сет до победы и повести в матче. Четвертый сет был напряженным только до счета 11-11, после чего Бразилия совершила рывок, набрав пять очков подряд, и больше не оглядывалась назад.
«Супер!» — воскликнул связующий сборной Бразилии Фернандо Крелинг (Качопа) после матча. «Это только начало для молодой, новой команды, и очень важно выиграть медаль. У нас было много трудных моментов, и я думаю, что мы растем вместе. Могу сказать, что наши ноги немного устали, и, очевидно, мы столкнулись с хорошей командой. Словения сейчас одна из лучших команд в мире. Так что это было непросто. В прошлом, два и три года назад, мы доходили до четвертьфинала… Так что выход в финал четырех — это большое достижение для нас.»
В атаке Словения незначительно превзошла Бразилию (49 против 48 успешных ударов). Их нападение возглавил 23-летний доигровщик Рок Можич, набравший 21 очко (18 в атаке и три на блоке), что стало лучшим результатом матча. Диагональный Тонец Стерн добавил еще 10 очков для Словении, все в атаке.
Далее в Нинбо состоится грандиозный финал Лиги Наций по волейболу 2025 года. Матч за золотую медаль между командой номер один в мире, Польшей, и действующими чемпионами мира, Италией, начнется в 19:00 по местному времени (11:00 UTC).
Rephrased and Translated Text (English)
Alan Souza led the Brazilians to victory over Slovenia, securing the bronze medals for the team in the 2025 Men`s Volleyball Nations League.
The Brazilian men`s volleyball team secured the bronze medals at the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), marking their second podium finish in the competition`s history, following their triumph in 2021. In Sunday`s third-place match held in Ningbo, China, their opponents from Slovenia once again missed out on hardware, finishing fourth, a repeat of their 2021 and 2024 performances.
In this encounter, the South American powerhouse was spearheaded by Alan Souza, who scored 18 points and played a pivotal role in their 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19) comeback victory. He successfully attacked 16 times (52% efficiency), adding one ace and one block. Middle blocker Matheus Bispo dos Santos also made a significant contribution, accounting for four of the team`s eleven blocks and accumulating a total of 11 points (six attacks with 55% efficiency and one ace).
In the first set, Brazil held the lead for most of the time, but Slovenia managed to seize the initiative in the decisive moments and clinch the win. However, in the second set, the Brazilians regained control and confidently leveled the score.
The third set proved to be crucial. Slovenia failed to maintain their five-point lead (10-5), allowing their opponents to catch up. This time, the Brazilian players showed greater focus in the set`s conclusion. After taking the lead for the first time at 23-22, they managed to close out the set in their favor and gain an advantage in the match score. The fourth set remained competitive only until 11-11, after which Brazil made a decisive run, scoring five consecutive points, and never looked back.
“Super!” exclaimed Brazil`s setter Fernando Kreling (Cachopa) after the match. “This is just the beginning for a young, new team, and it`s very important to win a medal. We`ve had many tough moments, and I believe we are growing together. I can tell you our legs are a bit tired, and obviously, we faced a strong team. Slovenia is one of the best teams in the world right now. So, it wasn`t easy. Last year, and two, three years ago, we reached the quarterfinals… So, making it to the final four is a big achievement for us.”
In attack, Slovenia slightly outperformed Brazil (49 kills vs. 48). Their offensive effort was led by 23-year-old outside hitter Rok Mozic, who scored a match-high 21 points (18 attacks and three blocks). Opposite Toncek Stern added another 10 points for Slovenia, all from attacks.
Next in Ningbo is the grand finale of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League. The gold medal showdown between the world`s number one team, Poland, and the reigning world champions, Italy, will commence at 19:00 local time (11:00 UTC).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick