Portugal did what it had to do, but the world no. 24’s future in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025 now rests on the result of the USA–Cuba battle later.
After taking the hardest path and putting fate into their own hands, Portugal's destiny still hangs by a thread.
In a gutsy show of resilience, Portugal clawed back from a two-set hole to complete a dramatic 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21,15-11 escape against Colombia to boost its chances of reaching the Round of 16 in the FIVB Men’s World Championship 2025.
[ALSO READ: FIVB: Portugal pulls off reverse sweep vs Colombia to boost Round of 16 hopes]
Outside hitter Nuno Marques once again led the charge, pouring in 19 points on 13 kills, four blocks and two aces.
José Pinto backed him up with 16, while middle blockers Kelton Tavares and Filip Cveticanin each added 12 in a balanced effort.
“We knew that we needed to win,” Marques said in the post-game interview.
Portugal did, but only after digging deep.
After a tense start to the fifth set, the world No. 24 side grabbed a slim 13-11 edge following a costly Colombia error.
That opened the door for Cveticanin, who delivered the final blows — including the quick attack.
“I’m really proud of the work of the team. It was a tough game. We were under a lot of pressure going into the match. We were favorites to win, but Colombia didn’t have any pressure,” Marques aded.
The win improved Portugal’s record to 2-1 and placed it in solo second in Pool D.
To advance, Portugal needs help from unbeaten Team USA, which has already clinched a spot in the knockout phase.
If the Americans beat Cuba in three or four sets, Portugal goes through. Should Cuba push Team USA to five sets and win, Portugal will still advance on a superior point total despite their identical records.
[ALSO READ: Team USA, Bulgaria target pool sweeps in penultimate FIVB Worlds preliminaries]
“[It was] an important win. We needed it to stay in the competition. Now, it’s not in our hands, but we did our job. We won, and now we have to wait,” Marques said.
Portugal has done its part—now it’s all about the waiting game.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.