Varna, Bulgaria, September 13, 2018 - Finland and Cuba are after their first win Friday in the 2018 FIVB World Championship, after both lost their opening matches, 3-0 to Bulgaria and 3-1 to Poland respectively. They meet for the third time in World Championship history with their head-to-head record tied at 1-1.
Head-to-Head
• Finland and Cuba have played each other twice before at the World Championship. Both nations have recorded one victory.
• Cuba beat Finland in straight sets in Prague at the 1966 World Championship (consolation round for places 17-22).
• Finland defeated Cuba 3-2 in Katowice at the 2014 World Championship (first round). The Cubans had won both of the opening two sets.
• Cuba won all four matches against Finland in the 1993 World League, but the Finnish team were victorious in both fixtures versus the Cubans in the 2016 World League.
Finland
• Finland kicked off their 2018 World Championship campaign with a straight-set defeat against co-hosts Bulgaria (21-25, 19-25, 22-25).
• Finland can start a World Championship with consecutive defeats for the first time since 1982, when they lost their opening four fixtures.
• Only in 1952, Finland lost their first two World Championship matches without claiming a single set. Back then, they even lost each of their opening five matches by a 3-0 scoreline.
• Urpo Sivula scored 11 points in Finland's opener against Bulgaria, at least three more than any other teammate.
Cuba
• Cuba had to give way against defending champions Poland in their first match of this World Championship: 3-1.
• Cuba have now won one of their last six World Championship matches, a 3-0 against Bulgaria in the second round in 2014.
• Cuba could win their 75th match at World Championships. They have exactly 50 defeats.
• With 12 points, Javier Octavio Concepcion Rojas was Cuba's best scorer against Finland.