Brazil punish sloppy Argentina, Japan top pool

TOKYO - Brazil came back from two sets down to beat Argentina in a thrilling men's Olympic volleyball match while world champions Poland put the disappointment of a shock opening defeat by Iran behind them to subdue Italy in straight sets on Monday.

Argentina took the first two sets and looked well set for victory with a 17-11 lead in the fourth when Brazil stormed back into the contest with a series of blocks that rocked their South American rivals before forcing a decider. The two sides were neck-and-neck in the fifth set and tied at 14-14 but Brazil, looking to reach their fifth straight final, held their nerve to stay perfect on two wins in Pool B with a 19-25 21-25 25-16 25-21 16-14 victory.