FIASCO FROM OSASCO

The final of the Women's Volleyball Club World Championships held in Qatar ended in failure for the Azerbaijani club Rabita. After losing to the Brazilian club Sollys Osasco, the champion of Azerbaijan had to settle for the second place. The team was just one step away from becoming world champions for the second time in a row.

Meanwhile, Rabita, which won the right for the decisive game, became the author of a new record in the history of the competition. Up untill now, no team has managed to get into the final of the Volleyball Club World Championships for the second time in a row. Defeating Sollys Osasco, Rabita could have broken another record - to become the first two-time world champion in the sport. But they had no luck...

It became clear right at the start that the Brazilians had prepared better for the final and the tournament in general. They were perfect not only in the attack, but also in the defence, showing beautiful performance on the block. Analyzing the play of Rabita, the rival figured out the "strongest link" of the Azerbaijani club - Madelaynne Monta?o. The Brazilian volleyball players did not give in to her, parrying her powerful shoots. In addition, we should note that the champion of Azerbaijan actually played against the first team of the gold medallists of the Olympic Games - the leading players of Sollys Osasco form the backbone of the Brazilian national team.

The frequent replacement of major players - Skorupa and Zhukova - did not help either. The Brazilians made accurate shoots one by one, proving that they deserve to win. Problems with passing the ball, shortcomings in the defence, weak blocks and toothless attack hastened Rabita's defeat. Many questions were raised by legionaries, on whom there were high hopes. Akinradewo - the most expensive transfer of the Azerbaijani club - played very poorly. The famous Angelina H?bner-Gr?n, who brought the team just two points, also disappointed the fans. However, H?bner-Gr?n was named the best server of the championship. Other celebrities - Rabadzhieva, Cruz and Starovic - did not help either.

It is notable that Rabita lost to the Brazilian team in the first match of the championship. After working on the mistakes, the chief coach of the Azerbaijani club, Marcello Abbondanza, managed to lead the team to the final. Unfortunately, Sollys Osasco turned out to be too tough.

It takes time for the new transfers of Rabita to play with full force. This season, the team is being formed almost anew. That is why the Brazilians, who have been playing in the same club for many years, managed to deprive the Azerbaijani team of the honorary title of world champion they won last year.

After the silver medal at the Club World Championship, Rabita should concentrate on the Super League of Azerbaijan and the Champions League. At the national championship, Marcello Abbondanza must make the players forget about the failure in Doha. After all, there is also the Champions League, where Azerbaijani clubs, which have won many international competitions, have not yet won a prize. Having obtained a ticket to the final quartet, Rabita must fight for the title of champion.

FIRSTHAND

"I apologize to the fans for this defeat. I think the results of the tournament are the real indicator of the balance of forces of the teams. Playing with the Brazilian club again is not easy. I expected more from our volleyball players. But we were not able to tune in to the game. Our opponents won deservedly,"

Marcello Abbondanza, Rabita chief coach

"We are very happy to win. Once again, we encountered a strong rival. But my players played better. We were very strong and achieved a victory in a beautiful game,"

Luizomar de Moura, Sollys Osasco head coach