Egyptian team dominates Volleyball World Championship

CAIRO –27 August 2017: If the past week has been any indication, the finals of the Volleyball World Championship should be a thriller.

Several exciting matches were played in Group A which includes Egypt, Brazil, Poland, Cuba, Japan and Mexico and Group B which had Turkey, Iran, Algeria, Argentina, Russia and China.

The fourth day was full of surprises. Egypt beat Mexico 4-1 to meet Poland in a very difficult match scheduled for Wednesday that, should Egypt win, could allow it to vie for fifth to eighth place according to Al-Ahram newspaper.

"The victory was very important for us,” Egypt’s Brazilian coach Marcos Miranda said. “We played very well and the game was equal almost the whole time but our team was better.” Ahmed Diaa, Egypt’s captain, said the team was very happy with the win. “I think the fans were the key as they gave us enthusiasm to do our best in the match. Their cheers affected the Mexican defense and spikes and this helped us a lot,” as reported by Middle East Agency.

“The match was the best for us in the tournament,” Mexico Coach Jose Luis Martell said. “Egypt is a very good team and that is why I have changed a lot in my tactics to be able to face Egypt.”

Brazil claimed the first ticket to the semi-finals as defending champions Russia, the only other undefeated team in the tournament, dropped a point to Argentina.

The second surprise of the day was Cuba almost beating Brazil.

Amr Elwani, deputy president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and president of the African Volleyball Federation (CAVF), said it was an honor that Egypt was able to organize such a marvelous event. “The organization is fantastic and everything was done well. All my colleagues at the FIVB and CAVB are amazed at the organization and the warmth of the Egyptians."

Fouad Abdel-Salam, Egyptian Volleyball Federation (EVF) president, thinks the junior players will be the nucleus of a strong national team that will be able to put Egypt in a higher rank internationally in the future together with their Brazilian coach Miranda “who is very professional”.