Tokyo (AFP)

Heroic against Brazil, the Blues offered French volleyball the first quarter of its Olympic history, a qualification acquired by snatching two sets in Brazil, the champion of Rio, winner 3-2 (25-22, 37-39, 25- 17, 21-25, 20-18) Sunday in Tokyo.

The Blues, who had four match points in their hands, could even have won and given the chance to avoid Poland as the next opponent, but the most important is saved.

"We would have liked to win this match to have a more affordable quarterback, but we are not afraid of anyone and now it's only a bonus", summarizes the leader of the team Earvin Ngapeth, European champion with her in 2015 .

"It's a lot of happiness because we had to go get it (the quarter-final)", relishes the coach Laurent Tillie, happy as ever to the point of announcing himself to journalists with a dazzling "hello".

A cry from the heart that says a lot about his release at the end of this "titanic match when we see the duration (2 h 50 min)".

Before the electric tie-break, his players had snatched the first of two sets they needed at the end of a second inning under high tension 39-37 against the team of Bruninho, flag-bearer of Brazil.

"It is really with the guts and the heart that we went to look for this set and that we started to make them doubt," Ngapeth book, with the influx found after three painful first matches. Like his feint to conclude the second set on the eleventh opportunity. The longest round of this tournament, the one that with the fourth set won an hour later (25-21) offers them the point that ensures them to pass the first round.

Evaporated the ghost of Rio.

For their last group match again against the Seleçao, as in 2016, "Team Yavbou" wrote a different story.

Five years have passed instead of four and one detail reminded us: the masks worn by Brazilians Mauricio Borges and Lucas Saatkamp, ​​"individually to have additional protection", according to management.

- "Have you seen Djokovic?" -

The dream of an Olympic medal of the band of Earvin Ngapeth, boosted Sunday (29 points), still lives, even if it will clash with the double Polish world champions, favorites for the Olympic title.

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“Besides, they are waiting for me,” laughs Laurent Tillie, pointing to Polish journalists.

"We know they're the best team in the world."

He also knows that these Games do not smile on the favorites: "Have you seen Djokovic? Have you seen the Chinese Olympic champions (in volleyball) who do not come out of their pool?"

"The Olympics is the only competition you have to play without calculation, he believes. Anyone can beat everyone because we see incredible tensions."

So much the better, the calculation is not really the register of the France team, almost eliminated after its defeat against Argentina 3-2, but resuscitated by its net success Friday against the Russians (3-1), certainly already qualified.

It defies predictions.

The reason sometimes also, to see the number of memorable exchanges torn off Sunday thanks to rescues of Jenia Grebennikov (12) or Trévor Clévenot (9).

Inspired perhaps by the songs broadcast in the vibrating sound system of the Ariake Arena: Gloria Gaynor and her "I will survive", well adapted to this France-Brazil and sticking perfectly to these Blues who have switched to "survival", as Laurent Tillie repeats since the initial rout against the United States (3-0).

© 2021 AFP