Olympics-Volleyball-Russians stun defending champions Brazil in men's semi-finals

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Volleyball - Men's Semifinal - Brazil v The Russian Olympic Committee - Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan – August 5, 2021. Team members of the Russian Olympic Committee celebrate after the match. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

TOKYO (Reuters) - Brazil's hopes of retaining their Olympic men's volleyball title were crushed on Thursday after they lost a thrilling four-set semi-final to the Russian team at the Tokyo Games.

The Russians had beaten Brazil in straight sets in the preliminary round and advanced to the final after a 18-25 25-21 26-24 25-23 victory over the world's top ranked team.