Favorites are still winning in Doha. Sada Cruzeiro after easy victory against Al Rayyan qualified to the semi-final.
No surprises in pool A. Trentino Diatec after experiencing some problems against Al Rayyan, came back to their normal performance. Too bad for young players of Tigres de Nuevo Leon normal performance in this case means harmful spikes, tough serve and service points. It was a tough lesson for Mexicans however if you want to develop in volleyball and achieve a world-class level, there is probably no better teacher than Trentino. Italians paid all the attention to their young rivals and used all of their most dangerous weapons, especially Jan Stokr (who topped 18 points) and Matey Kaziyski (scored 16 points, including 3 aces). Defending club world champions played at ease and with self-confidence just like the thrilling five-setter again the local Qatar club never happened. With such skills and such attitude toward the game, Trentino got more and more reasons why they should (and probably will) win the whole tournament.
Trentino Diatec – Tigres UANL 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-20)
Sada Cruzeiro stopped Al Rayyan on their path to semi-finals. In the end Wallace de Souza and his team overcame their rivals in four sets and now can celebrate their qualification to the second round. Both teams committed many errors and it was easy to see how important this game was for both sides. Al Rayyan did not have much time for preparations for the tournament and this time it was obvious that lack of experience and hours spent together on court were the key factors to this defeat. Brazilians managed to out-serve their competitors 7-1 and had literally no problems in winning the game. It seems that so far we have not seen all the skills of Wallace and his teammates. They are playing better and better from one game to another. Maybe It is the time for Brazilians to rock this championship? We will see soon!
Sada Cruzeiro – Al Rayyan Sport Club 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-22)
Also in pool B favorites are winning. Zenit Kazan without the effort overcame local team of Al-Arabi. Only the third set was a true, thrilling volleyball battle, surprisingly won by Qatar team. Russian team had an advantage in the block and service and that caused some serious problems in Al-Arabi’s reception. Zenit led by Evgeny Sivozhelez (scored 22 points) once again confirmed its will and ability to win the crown this year.
Al-Arabi – Zenit Kazan 1-3 (22-25, 22-25, 31-29, 18-25)
