Men's Volleyball World Cup Records: Poland Scores in Every Match, Who Appreciates the Most?

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Sina Sports News: The 12th Men's Volleyball World Cup has concluded. This World Cup was a high-level competition with many highlights worth reviewing and summarizing:

The most "knowledgeable" World Cup:

Following the Italian women's volleyball team winning the Women's World Cup via a wildcard, the Russian men's volleyball team also won the championship of this World Cup via a wildcard. Another wildcard team, Poland, secured the runner-up position. The International Volleyball Federation and the Japanese organizing committee awarded these teams wildcards, proving their acumen as they recognized true talent, significantly enhancing the level of this World Cup. The Olympic qualification spots were satisfactorily taken by traditional powerhouses, directly elevating the standard for next year's London Olympics.

The team with the most gains: Russia, Poland, and Brazil.

These three teams claimed the top three positions in this World Cup, thereby securing direct entry into next year's London Olympics. After twelve years, Russia once again won the World Cup title, breaking Brazil's recent monopoly on the championship.

The most disappointed team: Brazil.

Brazil has been the most successful men's volleyball team this century, winning three consecutive world championships, the last two World Cup titles, the gold medal at the Athens Olympics, and the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. They were the biggest favorites to win this World Cup. However, they lost to Italy in the third round, then subsequently to Cuba and Serbia, and even dropped two sets against China. They ultimately finished third based only on set differential, a result that is clearly unsatisfactory for Brazil.

The most "regretful" loss: Poland vs Iran.

Poland maintained a perfect record through the first three rounds but unexpectedly lost 2-3 to Iran, who eventually placed ninth. This cost Poland two crucial points, which resulted in them needing to win 3-1 or 3-0 against Russia in the final match to claim the title. Ultimately, they narrowly missed out on the championship, making this match possibly the one Poland regrets the most.

The only team to score in every match: Poland.

In the Women's World Cup, the Chinese team scored in every match. Similarly, in this Men's World Cup, Poland achieved this feat, finishing with 8 wins and 3 losses. Their losses to Iran, Brazil, and Russia were all 2-3 defeats, making them the only team to score in every match.

The most shocking performance: Serbia.

Serbia has always been a world-class team, finishing third in last year's World Championship and triumphing over numerous strong opponents to win this year's European Championship. Before this World Cup, Serbia was widely regarded as one of the teams with a chance to secure a top-three finish. However, they suffered consecutive defeats, not only losing to teams like Argentina and Poland, who historically have not been as successful, but also to Iran. They barely beat Japan in five sets, ultimately finishing eighth, a result that shocked many.

The match with the highest single-set score: 41-39.

The first set of the match was fiercely contested, tied from 23-all until 39-all. The leading scorers Stanley and Lasco engaged in an intense battle. Finally, the Italian team managed to secure two consecutive points to win the set. They then carried this momentum to defeat the U.S. team.

The match with the lowest single-set score: 25-8.

In the match between Iran and Poland, Poland dominated the third set, winning 25-8, setting the record for the lowest single-set score in this World Cup. However, the Iranian players rebounded strongly, winning the subsequent two sets to triumph 3-2 over Poland, causing an upset.

The player who impressed the most: Lasco.

Although the Italian outside hitter has excellent jumping ability, he was previously criticized for his soft attacks. In this World Cup, he shone brightly, becoming the absolute core of Italy's offensive strategy. He outperformed other world-class outside hitters such as Mihailov, Stanley, and Milikovic, ranking second in both scoring and attacking statistics and tenth in blocking statistics. His performance was commendable.

The most helpless outcome: African and Asian teams at the bottom.

While Iran's victories over Serbia and Poland gave hope, they were brought back to reality in the latter half of the tournament, finishing ninth. Japan, China, and Egypt placed 10th to 12th respectively, at the bottom of the rankings. This clearly demonstrates that the level of men's volleyball in Asia and Africa remains in the "third world" of world volleyball. (Snowy Season)