Drazen Luburic starred in Serbia’s major upset of Brazil, 25-22, 25-20, 25-22, to advance to the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Round of 16 on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Luburic tallied 17 kills and two aces to finish with a game-high 19 points, helping Serbia close Pool H with two straight wins after losing their campaign opener to Czechia.
Pavle Peric supported Luburic with 15 points from 13 kills, one block, and an ace, while Miran Kujundzic added 10 points on five attacks, four blocks, and an ace.
“It's a huge win for us. I'm not sure we would have performed this well if we had beaten Czechia. Probably we would have been a little relaxed, so in a way, it's a good thing. We chose the hard way, but luckily, we made it through,” said Luburic.
“It was a great performance, definitely, as we saw on the court, but I'm not sure if they showed all of their qualities, of course. But we also knew how hard we worked this summer.”
With Serbia advancing to the Round of 16, the remaining ticket in Pool H is no longer in Brazil’s hands despite their 2-1 record.
Czechia could claim it by beating China in straight sets later in the day at 9 p.m.
Brazil struggled offensively, with Alan Souza being the lone bright spot, finishing with 10 points. Judson Nunes added nine points.
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