Povoa de Varzim, Portugal, 27 June, 2015 – Belgium battled
back to defeat Portugal 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21) in Pool E of the FIVB
Volleyball World League on Saturday. Belgium has now won nine of their last 10
World League matches, including their last four.
Portugal won the competitive first set, with Fabricio Silva
spiking the ball to clinch the opening set. But Belgium’s attack, led by Gert
Van Walle and Sam Deroo, proved to be too much for Portugal. Van Walle recorded
22 points, while Deroo added 21 points. Alexandre Ferreira led Portugal with 16
points, and Silva added 14.
Belgium has never lost a World League match against
Portugal. In fact, Portugal has not defeated Belgium since the 1956 World
Championships. But Portugal has managed to stay competitive this year, taking
Belgium to five sets on June 14 and four sets today.
With the win, Belgium matches Netherlands with 22 points for
the Pool E lead. Portugal is in
fourth place in Pool E with four points, and they can no longer qualify for the
Final Four.
To see the match gallery, read the full match live commentary and post-match comments, visit the
match page.