Saitama, Japan, November 17, 2006: Puerto Rico produced a major shock in the second game of Pool A on Friday, beating Argentina for the first time in an official FIVB match 3-2.
Puerto Rico, ranked 23rd in the world and playing in only their second World Championships after a 32-year absence, beat seventh-ranked Argentina 19-25, 34-32, 28-26, 21-25, 15-13 in a match that swung one way and then the other.
Argentina started confidently. Gustavo Porporatto pounced at the net, captain Marcos Milinkovic pounded a loose ball home and Gustavo Scholtis scored on the left as they led 3-1.
Puerto Rico replied with a powerful left-handed spike on the right from Jose Rivera and a booming service ace from Hector Soto, who was also dangerous in attack.
A back-court attack from Scholtis and a Porporatto block on Rene Esteves suggested Argentina held the edge, and the South Americans had opened up a three-point lead at the second TTO, 16-13.
A flying spike from Milinkovic between two Puerto Rico defenders pushed Argentina closer to the first set, but Puerto Rico captain Luis Rodriguez pounced at the net to keep his team in touch.
Trailing 21-17, Puerto Rico called a TO, but it was too late to save the first set. Argentina brought up set point at 24-17 and took it 25-19 when Victor Rivera spiked wildly.
Southpaw Jose Rivera was equally effective from left or right flank, carving through the Argentine defence, and another ace from Soto carried Puerto Rico to the first TTO ahead by one, 8-7.
A succession of service errors by both teams made for a scrappy second set, but Argentina were producing the cleaner and more consistent attacks from Scholtis and Gaston Giani, and they led by two, 16-14, at the second TTO.
Jose Rivera, who combined subtlety with power in his attacks, the dynamic Soto and Victor Rivera, with one notable winner he sent crashing down the middle, made Argentina work all the way.
The teams then took it in turns to put themselves in a position to win the second set, but a flurry of set points went begging. At 32-32, Victor Rivera set up another chance for Puerto Rico, and on the next point the referee ruled that a fiery Soto spike from the right had been touched to end the set, 34-32, for 1-1. The second set took 34 minutes to complete.
The third set quickly settled into the same pattern, with too many unforced errors on both sides and with neither team able to gain the ascendancy and sustain the level.
Looking to push his team on, Argentina captain Milinkovic produced a crashing block on Soto to make it 20-15, but he then received similar treatment from his rival skipper Rodriguez to reduce the advantage to 20-18 and bring an Argentine TO. Jose Rivera, with another left-handed winner from the left, closed the gap completely, and Argentina called another TO at 20-20.
This time Argentina missed three set points before Puerto Rico took the third set 28-26 on their second attempt to settle another gripping struggle that had the audience enthralled. Soto had already amassed 28 points in three sets, including 26 spikes.
Argentina, with Alejandro Spajic prominent at the net, jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the fourth, with the aid of some wild Puerto Rico attacks. This trend continued, and when Victor Rivera missed the target again, Argentina enjoyed a three-point cushion at the second TTO. Scholtis blazed another winner on the left, Giani maintained the momentum, and Spajic finished the fourth set at the net 25-21 on his team's second set point, 2-2.
Soto was back to his best in the tie-break, and Argentina called a TO trailing 7-5. Rodriguez, Rene Esteves and Victor Rivera had all made major contributions, and Puerto Rico turned round 8-7 up.
The teams stayed locked together down the stretch. Soto pounced again for 13-12, but then served into the net for 13-13.
Soto brought up match point at 14-13 and a block did the rest, 15-13.
