2017-07-02 17:36:00 CET
Historic Poreč Major gold for brilliant Brazilians
Stunning comeback gives Brazilian qualifiers gold
Pedro/Guto produced a superb comeback to take gold
Qualifiers Pedro Solberg Salgado and Gustavo ‘Guto’ Carvalhaes made sure the sun shone on the final day of the Poreč Major by winning gold and making Swatch Major Series history in the process.
In front of a packed Red Bull Beach Arena crowd, the Brazilians survived a match point against Olympic silver medalists Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai to record a breathtaking 18-21, 25-23, 15-9 victory – and become the first men’s team to win a Majors title having played in the country quota.
Italians Lupo and Nicolai swept past reigning Olympic champions Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt in the semifinal to reach the gold medal match and it looked as though they were on course for gold in Croatia after winning the first set 21-18.
However, a dramatic second set was much closer as the lead continually changed hands. At one point the Italians had a point for the match but the experienced Salgado, 31, and teammate Guto, 23, held on to take the set final to match to a decider.
The Brazilians turned on the power in the third set with a stunning combination of defence and attack, eventually securing a six-point advantage and with it their first gold medal on the international beach volleyball tour as a team.
Congratulations boys!
Salgado and Carvalhaes were not the only Brazilians singing their national anthem on the podium. They were joined by Cerutti and Schmidt, who made light work of young Russian pair Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Artem Yarzutkin in the bronze medal match. The reigning World and Olympic champions won in straight sets 21-15, 21-18.
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Historic Poreč Major gold for brilliant Brazilians
Stunning comeback gives Brazilian qualifiers gold
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