Germany won their second straight match of the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for Men on Saturday with a stunning 3-0 victory over favoured Cuba in Pool B in Fukuoka.
Probably already exceeding their expectations, the fired-up Germans followed up their difficult 3-1 win over Australia on Friday with a more confident performance in a 25-14, 25-23, 25-20 triumph against a Cuban team who were lacking cohesion and, at times, the will to fight.
The 16th-ranked Cubans are 0-2 after two games, having lost to Brazil in four sets in their opening match on Friday. The Germans, ranked 16 places below Cuba at 32, may now have done enough to ensure their place in the second round in Hiroshima while the Cubans must be worried about their chances of progressing.
The top four from the group advance to the Hiroshima round, where they meet the leading four teams from Nagano's Pool C.
Germany started in completely dominant fashion, surging to an 8-3 and then a 16-8 lead, not allowing Cuba to get into their usual attacking rhythm. The Cubans were let down by a series of errors, while Germany's main attackers Jochen Schops, Marcus Popp and Bjorn Andrae were ever willing to make the most of their opponents' lapses.
Germany were also superior in defence, highlighted by the blocking of Ralph Bergman and libero Thomas Kroger's ability to retrieve most of what Cuba could throw at him.
Pouto Corrales, so effective against the Brazilians on Friday, was given precious little to work with on the right while Daudinot Portuondo was equally bereft of proper service.
Schops brought up set point at 24-13, with a confident spike down the right. Cuba saved one but captain Allen Pimienta sent his serve long to hand Germany the first set.
It was a much better contest at the start of the second set with Michael Sanchez racking up spikes for Cuba but Schops was also in points-scoring form to give Germany a slight 8-7 edge.
Though Cuba levelled, Germany eased ahead 11-8 after a sizzler by Simon Tischer. Pontuondo's block brought it back to 11-all before the Germans worked the score to 16-14 in their favour.
Cuba started to dismantle the good work as they let Germany run away to a 21-15 lead before Sanchez could reply. There was little fight in the Cuban cause but they couldn't do much against a solid Germany defence.
Odelvys Dominico managed to breach the Germany block but Andrae took his team to set point at 24-16. Cuba then had an incredible run, winning the next seven points to inject some doubt into the German players' minds and give the set some respectability, during which time the Germany coach Stelian Moculescu had called time-out twice.
But at 24-23, German nerves were settled when Cuba infringed at the net and Germany went into a two-sets to nil lead.
Schops and Andrae continued the Germany onslaught in the third set with the latter giving his team an 8-4 lead at the set's first technical time out.
A few attacks from Sanchez, Dominico and Portuondo troubled the Germans, whose overall superiority in blocking and spike was reflected in the scoreline.
The Germans' 16-13 lead was deserved with Sanchez looking to be the only Cuban player willing to test the Europeans. Germany, however, surged 20-15 ahead.
Cuba started a mini-fightback to come within 20-23 but an Andrae spike and a Cuban mistake put the finishing touches to a convincing and famous German victory.
