Melbourne, Australia, June 24, 2018 - Argentina revived their South American rivalry with Brazil at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, where the former emerged as victors in straight sets on Sunday.
Argentina coach Julio Velasco: “I’m very happy to finish the Volleyball Nations League with two wins. Beating Brazil is very important. They are one of the best teams in the world and it’s an important derby for our growth and confidence ahead of the World Championship.
“It’s tough because we travelled so much but the players have very good mental condition. They never complained and showed they were never tired. They kept fighting even in tough times. They always tried their best and that was most important.”
Argentina captain Martin Ramos: “This is the result of the work we have been doing all season, so we are happy to close the tournament with a win over Brazil.
“It would have been great to have played like this right from the beginning but we are happy with how much we progressed and improved. We have made over five weeks of VNL and to finish on a high with wins over Australia and Brazil.”
Brazil coach Renan Dal Zotto: “It was a bad day unfortunately. We played below expectations. With a tough tournament like this that involves so much travelling, we had to rest some main players, as this round was about to conclude. We considered avoiding injury and made sure we are thinking about the overall tournament to be in good shape for the Final Six.
“There is value in every game we play. It doesn’t matter if its 14 players or 30 players who play in a different continent each time, which is a bit difficult, but it is what it is.
“The objective is to get to the Final Six in France so we have done that now after a long tournament. Now we can go and reset, and put all our energy into the finals.”