Czechia led by five goals early in the second half, but Brazil managed to completely turn things around and ultimately claimed their second straight win at the tournament, securing their main round spot. The European side are still without a single point, and while they also progress to the main round with a win against Cuba on Monday, they will not carry over any points to the next stage in this case.

GROUP G
Brazil vs Czechia 28:22 (12:15)

Czechia took control of the game from the first minutes, taking a 2:0 lead before Bruna de Paula scored Brazil’s opening goal in the match. While the South Americans quickly drew level at 2:2, they could not pull ahead – in contrast, Czechia used a 3:0 run to pull clear at 5:2.

The Europeans showed some good team performance – Charlotte Cholevová and Kamila Kordovská did well in the back court, while Veronika Šmetková and Veronika Mala contributed on the wings. Sabrina Novotná, who had recorded 17 saves in Czechia’s previous match against Sweden, also made an impact, helping her team keep their advantage.

The Czechs mostly led by two or three goals in the opening half, and while Brazil tried hard to catch up, they lacked some cohesion in their game. Bruna de Paula scored five goals before half-time, but her effort was not of much help, as the European team were in front after 30 minutes, 15:12.

Shortly after the restart, Czechia earned their biggest lead during the entire match, 17:12. However, their lead proved to be shaky, as Tomáš Glavatý’s team scored just one goal in the next 12 minutes. Brazil finally improved their defence, and some saves from Renata de Arruda as well as goals from Cristina Oliveira helped the South Americans draw level after a long chase, 18:18, midway through the second half.

And in the 49th minute, Brazil took their first lead in the match, as De Paula scored from a fast counterattack. That certainly gave Cristiano Silva’s team a morale boost, and they kept the momentum going, using a 3:0 run to take a 24:21 lead. De Arruda finished the game with a 41% saving rate, restricting Czechia to just seven goals in the second half, while De Paula and Oliveira scored seven goals each, as Brazil cruised to a six-goal win.

hummel Player of the Match: Bruna de Paula (Brazil)