2025 Men's Club World Championship Final Round Semifinal

The 2025 Men's Club World Championship Final Round Semifinal was held on Sunday, December 21, at the Guilherme Paraense Arena (Belém, Brazil), where OSAKA BLUTEON (hereinafter referred to as Bluteon) faced Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie (Poland).

[Set 1]
Although they conceded three consecutive points early on, they immediately responded with three of their own, maintaining an aggressive stance.
With a service ace from Lopez and Tomita scoring off a dig from Yamamoto to take a 9-6 lead, Nishida's sharp and consistent spikes helped them seize the momentum.
The opponent called a timeout after falling behind by four points at 11-7, but Bluteon's solid defense prevented them from scoring, and they instead applied pressure to score consecutive points, extending the lead to 13-7.
Throughout the middle and latter stages, they continued to execute side-outs effectively to maintain their advantage, ultimately taking the set 25-17 with a final point from Lopez.

[Set 2]
Early on, they successfully returned the opponent's powerful serves and connected them into attacks, accumulating points one by one.
Furthermore, Pon's quick attacks and Yamamoto's sharp digs kept the rhythm going, and they maintained high concentration throughout the closely contested match.
Afterward, they showed tenacity on defense to score three consecutive points, successfully turning the game around at 10-9, leading to a seesaw battle where Tomita utilized his strengths with consistent attacks.
Neither side gave an inch as they reached the final stages tied at 20-20, but relief server Kai hit a service ace, and Tomita scored a block-out following a defensive play by Nishida to take a 23-21 lead, which they held onto to take the set 25-23.

[Set 3]
Maintaining high concentration in this set as well, our serves, blocks, and defense clicked, leading to consecutive points and a 7-4 lead, forcing the opponent to call a timeout.
From there, centered around Yamamoto, we repeatedly built attacks from tenacious defense, converting them into points, and created a 14-8 lead with plays like an Ebadipour service ace.
We did not ease up on our attacks in the middle and later stages, completely outplaying the opponent with toss distribution led by Brizard, and extended our lead significantly to 20-11 with a Lopez service ace and spikes and blocks from Pon.
In the final stages, we calmly piled on points while using quicks at key moments, overwhelming the opponent until the end to take the set 25-19 and win in straight sets.
This secured our spot in the finals, a first for a Japanese club.

Comments from Head Coach Samuel after the match

It was a wonderful victory.
Especially, our side-out play was excellent.
The players executed our tactics very accurately.
Although there were some errors from the opponent, our receivers tenaciously handled the receptions against the abundant and powerful serves of the Zawiercie players.
The main point of today's game was that our attack efficiency was extremely high.
Also, we were able to attack with our serves and disrupt the opponent's reception.
In defense, I think we managed to touch every ball and bring it to a counterattack in good condition.
I think we were able to play aggressively without losing focus, staying calm in a good way.
Finally, we are in the finals. I am very, very happy.
However, as always, we will prepare properly for the next match and hope to finish this long tournament on a high note.
We will focus on tomorrow and give everything we have on the court.

Comments from Yamamoto after the match

Since a win meant advancing to the final, the match was very intense, and I am very happy that I was able to contribute in terms of side-outs and defense, which are our strengths.
Regardless of who our opponent is tomorrow, the volleyball that OSAKA BLUTEON plays will not change, so I want to win the championship, take home the gold medal, and return to Japan.
Thank you very much.