France defeated Cuba 3-1 on Wednesday to complete their Pool B campaign with a 4-1 win-loss record in the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for Men in Fukuoka.
The French joined world champions Brazil and Germany, their conquerors on Tuesday, on 4-1after their 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17 victory over the Cubans, who dropped to 2-3.
Both teams, as well as Brazil and Germany, progress to the second round Pool F in Hiroshima, where they take on the leading foursome from Pool C in Nagano.
France were stunned 3-1 by Germany on Tuesday - just two days after causing a shock themselves by beating Brazil - and needed victory against Cuba to limit the damage and boost their points ratio.
They went about their business with flair, defusing Cuba's main attackers with classic blocking while making the most of their attacking options.
France wanted to come out strong and start making immediate amends for their defeat to the Germans the previous day. But their hoped-for early surge was held back by some dogged Cuban defence and spikes from Duadinot Portuondo.
Guillaume Samica and Frantz Granvorka were France's main contributors, as well as Cuban errors, to an 8-7 first TTO lead.
Cuba then lost their way a bit, a series of errors allowing France, with Granvorka, Samica and captain Stephane Antiga powering winners, to build a significant 16-9 lead.
Michael Sanchez, Portuondo and Pouto Corrales had lost their effectiveness on the wings in the face of solid French blocking with Odelvys Dominico rarely getting a chance to attack down the middle.
Sanchez showed what he could do to bring Cuba's deficit down to 23-17 and then saving a set point, one of four set points Cuba deflected before Granvorka gave France a 1-0 lead.
Cuba can rue a number of handling errors that helped France gain an 8-5 lead in the second set without really having to do much.
However, Cuba followed up with some solid defending of their own to fight back to 8-8 and Coralles provided the finishing touches on the right to give his team a 9-8 lead.
But their revival wouldn't last as France, through Samica and Antiga, dealt a wave of blows that took them 16-11 ahead.
Coralles blasted out twice in a row as France pulled 19-13 ahead and 23-18 before Portuondo's netter serve gave the French six set points.
Samica speared one down the middle as France took a two-set lead.
Cuba decided to come out fighting in the fourth set with Corrales and Sanchez seizing an 8-6 advantage. The Cubans stretched it to 16-10 as France, for the first time in the match, struggled in defence.
France kept them in range but were still 22-18 down. Oliver Kieffer brought them to 23-21 but Portuondo earned set point and substitute Oreol Camejo's block won the set for Cuba. France led 2-1.
Granvorka, kept quiet in the third set, was back in the thick of things, but so was Cuba's Portuondo. But it was France, with setter Pierre Pujol controlling play, who led 8-6 at the first TTO of the fourth set.
It was 10-7 to France before long as Cuba tried to reorganise with a time-out. France appeared to take a control with a block that put them 16-12 in front.
Romain Vadeleux took France to 20-17 and substitute Ludovic Castard earned them set point. A wayward spike from Cuba gave France the match.
