Australia's Paul Carroll keeps the French defence busy
Australia
vs
France
1
-
3
France had to defy a battling Australian team to win an exhausting four-setter and take their second straight Pool B victory in the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for Men in Fukuoka on Saturday.
The French, who beat Greece on Friday, were forced to extract the best of their skills, stamina and mental toughness to overcome the feisty Aussies and eventually win 25-23, 30-28, 24-26, 26-24.
Australia's never-say-die spirit is legendary in all sports and the French felt the full force of it as they huffed and puffed through three deuce tussles to stay unbeaten in the group along with Brazil.
The Aussies fell to 0-2 following defeat to Germany the day before after pushing France in the second, third and fourth sets before finally conceding defeat.
The match started with no indication as to how close it would eventually be as Australia found themselves in early trouble at 0-4 down, prompting their coach Russell Borgeaud to call a quick time out.
It helped them garner four points, two through Paul Carroll but with French star Frantz Granvorka in customary spectacular form, it was France who went into an 8-4 lead.
Guillaume Samica's delicate finish gave France a 15-12 lead after furious rally that highlighted the best of setting and blocking from both teams.
But Australia came right back with captain Benjamin Hardy leading the way until Granvorka's spike put France 16-14 ahead.
They maintained a two-point advantage until Carroll's error put France 19-16 up.
Australia's good work were often undone by poor serving, which allowed France to stay ahead at 21-19 when a rare Granvorka mistake meant there was just one point in it.
Granvorka made up for it immediately with a winner before Romain Vadeleux brought up set point for France at 24-22.
Hardy saved one but Granvorka's angled smash from the left gave France the set.
The 20-year-old Carroll had five spikes and Hardy helped out as Australia earned and gave away points at the same time to lead 8-7 at the second set's first technical time out.
France needed their main players to step up but Campbell and Yudin took Australia 10-9 ahead before French captain Stephane Antiga levelled it.
Granvorka and Samica were simply unable to find openings with Australia building a 14-11 lead. Although better French defence helped the Europeans tie it at 14-14, Australia moved ahead 16-14 on Howard's tip-over.
Carroll was outstanding on the right, and with Yudin and Hardy providing telling plays, Australia were a match for France in every aspect.
Carroll's block on Forian Kilama sent Australia 22-20 ahead but Vadeleux's dipping serve tied it, yet again, for the constantly chasing French.
Australia reached set point on a French infringement over the net and Granvorka, who else, forced deuce. The Aussies then had another sniff but wasted a serve.
Australia eventually dropped three set points before Granvorka finally closed it out for the French on their third chance.
The disappointment of losing the set would have deflated most teams, but not the Aussies. Carroll and Yudin came out firing in the third, and along with some excellent blocking, Australia stormed to an 8-2 lead.
The two liberos, Australia's Phillip DeSalvo and Frenchman Jean-Francois Exiga, worked overtime as France won a tense extended rally to cut back to 10-13.
France came back to 12-13 before Yudin replied for Australia, who recovered to make it 16-12. The French, however, had too much quality to allow the Aussies to get away, with Pierre Pujol making a block and Antiga slamming a winner to level the score at 19-19.
France were forced to fight back again to 22-all from 20-22 down before Yudin took Australia to two set points by blocking Antiga. However, a Granvorka spike and good serve from Samica forced the deuce.
This time, Australia refused to let France back in and they finally won the set they deserved when Granvorka smashed wide.
The fury of the previous two sets were understandably missing for the start of the fourth as France eased to an 8-5 lead.
Carroll had gone quiet for the Aussies as some great French blocking and Granvorka's usual attacks helped his side stretch their advantage to 14-9 before Carroll decided to get involved. However, France went into a 16-11 lead and looked to take control.
The Aussies weren't finished and, after a spate of errors, especially from serves, fought back to 22-23 following a three-point run.
France reached set point but Carroll saved one for the Aussies in a rally that saw Oliver Kieffer suffer a leg injury.
Another deuce chapter then unfolded as Granvorka hit wide but the Frenchman fired another winner before Carroll spiked long to give France victory.
