In a thrilling underdog story, China's men's volleyball team smashed a 13-year losing streak against Serbia with a dominant 3-0 victory at the FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League in Xi'an! The world No. 24 squad gave coach Vital Heynen the ultimate birthday gift
by toppling the 10th-ranked Serbians in straight sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-20).
Veteran player Ji Daoshuai fired up the home crowd with eight crucial first-set points, while Serbia's captain admitted fatigue from their late-night five-set match the previous day. "They played smarter," conceded Serbian coach Gheorghe Cretu, as China climbed four spots in world rankings
.
The victory lap got emotional when fans serenaded Coach Heynen with "Happy Birthday" . The Belgian tactician, now 56, vowed: "This is just the beginning – we're showing China's potential!"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com