The road to a Volleyball World Cup can be long and full of bumps. But for Portugal’s national team, things are looking smooth so far. They bagged another solid victory this week, beating the Philippines 3-0 in Santo Tirso. This was the second of three warm-up matches before the big tournament.
Portugal’s head coach, João José, knows a thing or two about World Cups. He was part of the 2002 team that made a historic run to eighth place. Coach José is realistic about the tough challenge ahead for his current squad.
“We have two teams that need no introduction,” Coach José said after the second win against the Filipinos. “Cuba and the United States are medal contenders. We must be realistic. But we also need to aim high. We must accept the challenge of reaching the round of 16.”
On Wednesday, Portugal clinched the win with set scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-22. They even played an extra set just for practice, winning that one 26-24. This followed up a similar dominant performance on Tuesday. In that match, Portugal also won 3-0. The scores were 25-17, 28-26, and 25-17. They grabbed an extra set there too, 25-19.
The Philippines will host the upcoming World Cup. That tournament runs from September 12 to 28. Portugal finds itself in Group D. They will face off against the United States, Cuba, and Colombia. It’s certainly a tough draw.
Portugal is currently training hard in Santo Tirso. They will head to Romania on August 26 for two more important warm-up games. The team’s flight to the Philippines is set for September 2. They aim to be fully prepared when the main event kicks off.