HISTORICAL MATCH | JAPAN vs FRANCE

HISTORICAL MATCH | JAPAN vs FRANCE | Men's VNL FINAL 2024. The French completed their VNL 2024 campaign in a strong way, taking down the second-best team in the FIVB World Rankings, Japan, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23) in a packed Atlas Arena.

With the victory, the Europeans returned to the top of the podium in the VNL after first winning gold in 2022 – they also claimed silver in 2018 and bronze in 2021. The gold medal match triumph also moved France up to fourth place in the World Rankings, with 344.00 points.

France had ups and downs during the Preliminary Phase, advancing to the VNL Finals in sixth place with eight wins and four losses, but found their rhythm in Łódź, beating the top three teams in the World Ranking to earn the right to lift the trophy.

Despite the setback in the final match of the tournament, Japan also have reason to celebrate as, besides improving from their historic bronze-medal-winning campaign from 2023, the Asians also returned to the gold medal match of a major international tournament for the first time since they took silver at the 1977 FIVB World Cup. After the conclusion of the VNL, Japan appear in second place in the World Rankings with 361.02 points.

Opposite Jean Patry was a difference-maker for France in the gold medal match, leading all scorers with 24 points (20 kills, three blocks, one ace). Kevin Tillie played a big role off the bench, tallying 13 points, while fellow outside hitter Yacine Louati added another 11.

“Japan are always tough opponents,” Patry celebrated. “They are very skilled, extremely patient and they dig everything. We try to be patient when we play them, but it’s always a challenge to remain focused the entire time. Winning the VNL is excellent in our preparation for the Paris Games, which is our main goal for the season. Our goal was to make it to the semifinals, so there’s nothing better than winning gold. We have a lot of guys who can come in and help the team and that’s one of our main strengths.”

On the Japanese side, captain Yuki Ishikawa had another excellent performance, leading the team with 17 points (all in kills), followed by opposite Yuji Nishida, who registered 11. Fellow opposite Kento Miyaura also got to double digits, coming off the bench to score ten points.

“We’re very happy that we made it to the final, but today it was a tough match,” Ishikawa reflected. “Congrats to France for winning the title. Playing in the final was a great experience for us and it will help as we prepare for the Olympics.”

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