The beach volleyball duo Evandro and Arthur were eliminated from the Paris Olympic Games after losing 2-0 to the Swedish duo Hellvig and Ahman. The match was played in the quarterfinals at the Eiffel Tower Arena. The scores were 21-17 and 21-16.
At no point during the match were the Brazilians ahead of the Swedes on the scoreboard. It is no wonder that their opponents lead the rankings on the international circuit, in addition to having won the runner-up position in the world championship in 2023.
In the first few minutes, Hellvig and Ahman opened up a three-point lead. The last one came in an 18-second rally that ended with a block by Hellvig. The pressure from the Swedes increased and, in a quick play, they made a second-half comeback that allowed them to reach the fourth point.
The first Brazilian point came next, with Evandro exploiting the high Swedish block. Throughout the match, this was a strategy used a lot by the Brazilian duo, such as forced serves, which even gave Brazil the chance to get closer on the scoreboard, scoring the second point.
Another forced serve made it difficult for the Swedish duo to pass, who had to pass the ball to the Brazilian side. Exploiting the Swedish block again, the Brazilian duo scored their third point.
In a new attempt at a forced serve, Brazil committed the first service error, leaving the score at 5-3.
The difference was between two and three points, until, in a block by Hellvig, the advantage increased, with the score at 13 to 9.
Shortly after, another attempt by the Swedes to pass the ball, which was anticipated by Arthur, who passed it to Evandro to score with a close-range cut.
Brazil kept forcing serves, but the Swedes’ defensive efficiency gave the Brazilians no chance as they tried to get closer on the scoreboard.
Faced with the situation, Evandro and Arthur tried to make some attack variations, between cut and placed balls. The situation, however, could not be reversed amid service errors and attacking failures on the Brazilian side.
With a block point, the Swedes started the final stretch of the first set making 19 to 15. Brazil still made an effective play, after Evandro’s forced serve went straight to the Brazilian court, and Evandro himself went up to cut it first.
The great play, however, did not prevent Brazil from losing the first set. Another service error closed the first set at 21 to 17 for the Swedes.
Second set
As in the first set, the Swedish duo started the second at a strong pace, opening up a two-point lead with a shot from Hellvig. After a service error for each duo, Hellvig turned the ball over to make it 4-1.
With much conversation between the pair, the Brazilians improved, closing in on the Swedes at 5-4, after an attack error by Hellvig. The opponents then took control of the match again and, with a service point, extended their lead to four points, making it 10-6.
Brazil tried to cool the game down by calling a timeout, but the situation did not change and Sweden reached 11-7. With another error in receiving the serve, Brazil saw Sweden reach 15 points, while they had only 9.
Brazil tries to give it a final breath, but the experience of the Swedish duo manages, with a response to Evandro’s forced serve, to reach the 18th point.
A placed ball by Sweden then resulted in a match point, closing the second set at 21 to 16. With the defeat, Brazil’s hopes of winning another medal in men’s beach volleyball also ended.
