Sada Cruzeiro Takes Foolad Down at 2024 FIVB Club World C’ship SF
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Brazilian side Sada Cruzeiro defeated reigning Asian champion Foolad 3-1 (25-23, 25-11, 23-25, 26-24) at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship semifinals.
Olympic champion opposite Wallace de Souza had another great performance, leading the Brazilian side with 21 points (19 kills, two blocks). His teammate in the successful Brazilian campaign at the Rio 2016 Olympics, Lucas Saatkamp added another 17 (12 kills, three blocks, two aces), three more than fellow middle blocker Otávio Pinto.
Opposite Ali Hajipour, who kept playing through an injury, was Foolad’s most productive player with 14 points (nine kills, four blocks, one ace). Outside hitter Amin Khalili came next, with 12 points, all in kills.
The Brazilians are guaranteed their ninth medal (they have four golds, two silver and two bronzes) at the Club World Championship and will return to the final for the first time since 2021, when they won their most recent title. Their other victories happened in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Sada Cruzeiro will meet Italy’s Trentino Itas in battle for the title of the 2024 edition of the tournament on Sunday, at the Sabiazinho Arena, in Uberlândia, Brazil.
Earlier, Italy’s Cucine Lube Civitanova and Foolad Sirjan Iranian will play for bronze.