It doesn't work without Tijana - Serbia surrendered the world crown!

The Dutch women celebrated after a great match, a true volleyball spectacle, in five sets - 27:25, 26:24, 22:25, 20:25, 15:11.

Serbia also played this match without its best player, Tijana Bošković, who was prevented from helping her teammates this time due to an ankle injury.

Without Bošković, Serbia is simply not the same team and that was evident throughout the match with the Netherlands.

In her absence, Vanja Ivanović and Aleksandra Uzelac, by far the most productive in our team today, took over the baton, but even their non-series contribution was not enough for more than a five-set defeat.

Uzelac finished the match with 31 points (three from serve), Ivanovic had 24, they both shone, played and scored as if in a trance, they carried Serbia throughout the match, especially in the third and fourth sets when the Dutch women were thrown "on the ropes".

In the end, when it was important, when the match was breaking, our strongest trump cards faltered, as if the energy had disappeared, the service stopped, the reception stopped, the block was lost...

The Dutch women consolidated after two lost sets and in the fifth "restarted" to the "mode" in which they played the first two. The advantage was constantly on their side in the decision set: 3:1, 4:2, 6:3, 8:4...

Srđan Stevanović/Starsport

Compensating for such a deficit at the height of the fight was an impossible mission for our girls.

However, for everything they showed today, our girls deserve nothing but praise. For the moments of the big game, for the series with which they broke the Dutch women in the third and fourth sets.

It was a joy to watch the energetic Vanja and Aleksandra bombard the opponent's court without any real resistance from the other side, Jegdić masterfully defended every inch of the court, Bukilić contributed with a varied game (14p - two from the block, three from the serve) when it mattered...

But the Dutch women had more trump cards in their mood to fight today.

Dalderop finished the match with 19 points, Dambrink scored 17, Jasper 13, Stutt 11, Timmerman 10...

The striking fists of the Netherlands were mentioned today, they showed more concentration and focus especially in the fifth set when it was crucial to make the right decisions in a split second.

Deservedly, the Netherlands goes on to the World Championship, which Serbia, after two consecutive gold medals, ends at an early stage - in the round of 16.