Brazilian players after the last match of the preliminary round against France
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 15, 2016 – Brazilian coach Bernardo Rezende praised his players for the composure shown under pressure in a do-or-die match against France to conclude the preliminary phase of the men’s volleyball tournament at Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Bernardo Rezende, Coach of Brazil: We were under tremendous pressure but I am proud of the attitude of my players. The way they behaved under pressure and the courage they showed. We served strong but we were served strong too. I told my players to be prepared to play like all the matches are a playoff. Today we had a playoff and our next match will be a playoff against Argentina.
Wallace de Souza, Player of Brazil: It was an extraordinary match against a team of a very high level. I am very proud of my teammates. We have defeated a very difficult opponent and I also expect a strong match against Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Laurent Tillie, Coach of France: We have no regrets. It was an outstanding tournament but we have to work in our techniques. I would love to be in the place of Canada because they were able to beat Italy and sneak into the quarterfinals. It was a very complicated pool with many good teams.
Kevin LeRoux, Player of France: We played well during the tournament but today Brazil was better than us. We had a good game but made too many faults with our serves. We tried our best but it was not enough. We put a lot of work in preparation for this tournament and it is really sad to leave, but we are a young group and we probably will be in Tokyo the next time.