2012 🇯🇵 Japan vs Cuba 🇨🇺 🏐 Women Volleyball 🏐 FIVB Olympic Qualification Tournament

8 teams competing last 4 spots for London Olympic in 2012. This tournament is hosted by Japan in Tokyo. Below is the schedule of Japan team :
Day 1 vs Peru
Day 2 vs Chinese Taipei
Day 3 vs Thailand
Day 4 vs South Korea
Day 5 vs Cuba
Day 6 vs Russia
Day 7 vs Serbia
2010 world championship Japan obtained the bronze medal and ranked 4th in 2011 World Cup. This Nippon team should easily get top 3 in this tournament but things didn’t go the way as expected. The most controversial match in women volleyball history happened in this tournament (Japan vs Serbia match stated as a ‘match-fixing’ game)
Post-Match Commentary :
After lost to Korea, Japan situation wasn’t too good. Nippon must achieve 3-0 and 3-1 win against Cubans to get all 3 points. But turnout the game ended by 5 sets. Cuban squad was no longer a strong team after 2000 and Japan always won Cuba in recent years.
Japanese squad thought they shall win vs Cuba and the pressure in Japanese side was huge after the unexpected loss to Korea. In this tournament, Otomo Ai didn't full recovered from her ACL injury happened in September last year making the middle blocker position still a black hole.
#12 Kimura Saori (26yo, 1.85m) was no doubt the key player in Japan. But after years of playing, opponents analysed how she played and made her less easy to score. With the weakening of middle and opposite spike - #7 Yamaguchi Mai (29yo, 1.76m), the whole team wasn't performed as good as 2010 & 2011.

[@ClaytonRodrigues-fl2wn]

O BRASIL MANDA 💋 CUBA KKKKK

[@SolobayashiVolley]

:)

[@makelovenotwar9941]

When Ruiz left the team, Cuba has become awful. This team just lacked discipline. There were so many rallies that can be recycled on their side but they just let the ball die.

[@SolobayashiVolley]

Very bad skill for this Cuba squad

[@oscarpaya8519]

No, en realidad cuando se fue Kenia Carcaces, ella era la figura con la que se contaba para este campeonato y las olimpiadas. Desertó a finales del 2011 y toda la preparación se vino abajo. El equipo todavía era bueno, pero estaban desnortadas. La moral muy baja, el Panamericano del 2011 hicieron muy buen partido contra Brasil.

[@jeffreyarcherrefugio6300]

Adios Cuba haha

[@SolobayashiVolley]

Sad 😞 but it’s true

[@wilfredomejia5561]

Sii todo el mundo extrañamos este tipo de fantásticas jugadoras con potente remate y bloqueo 😢

[@wilfredomejia5561]

Poseen el récord de ser tricampeona olímpicas en forma consecutiva .nadie jamás lo ha igualado

[@SolobayashiVolley]

pero el equipo cubano hizo 3 consecutivos fue totalmente un récord mundial. orgulloso de cuba!