The Blues save a match point against Japan and qualify for the quarters of the World Cup
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“It was a crazy game. » Hot and at the final whistle, this is how Barthélémy Chinenyeze summed up this thrilling round of 16 between the Blues and the Japanese. A crazy match that the French won in the tie-break after saving a match point in the final set (25-17, 21-25, 26-24, 25-22, 18-16). They therefore trembled but managed to qualify and the last Olympic champions can always dream of winning their first World Championship. On Wednesday, they will challenge the Italians whose staff was present in the room, in the quarter-finals, at 5.30 p.m., and live on the L’Equipe channel.
They will undoubtedly be better physically because this Monday evening, in the hall of Ljubljana, they sometimes seemed out of breath to chain and keep up the pace imposed by the Japanese team, trained by the former boss of the Blues Philippe Blain (2001- 2012). This was the case among others of Jean Patry, not at best during this round of 16. But they will probably have to do without Kevin Tillie, hit in the ankle in the second set. A blow for Andrea Giani as the son of the former coach (Laurent Tillie) performed well in the first round of this meeting. A first round easily won by the Blues, smiling and relaxed like Earvin Ngapeth, author of spectacular points.
The Japanese Yuji Nishida made a great performance
After winning this round, the Blues may have seen themselves qualified too easily, remembering that a little over a month ago, in the quarter-finals of the League of Nations, they had corrected the same opponents (3-0). They therefore let the Japanese regain confidence, ultra-efficient in defense with a great burst of energy, and very inspired in attack, like their star, Yuji Nishida, a not very tall player (1.87 m) but so explosive, with a fast and powerful arm that cracked the French counter in the second and fourth set.
But Nishida might have needed a little more support to create the feat, the Japanese bench lacking in depth, while opposite Andrea Giani could count on Stephen Boyer, Trevor Clevenot or even Quentin Jouffroy, the player from Narbonne, little used during this game, but capital on the last point with a huge serve, and a heroic defense for a final blow from Ngapeth.
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