Italy Tops Pool A in European Championship After Defeating Slovenia

Italy took an early lead, with Bottolo extending it to 3-1. Giannelli set up Romanò for a 4-2 advantage. Slovenia quickly responded, leveling the score at 4-4. The match intensified with both teams trading points (6-6) before the Slovenian side broke through for a 6-8 lead, only for Romanò to equalize for Italy at 8-8. The teams remained neck-and-neck until Italy pushed ahead at 15-13. The Italian team continued to assert dominance (18-15), with Sani coming in to serve at 18-16. Bottolo's block increased the lead to 21-18, and Romanò's two consecutive aces sealed the first set 25-19. Romanò contributed 7 points, including 2 aces and 1 block in the set.

Slovenia started the second set stronger, building a 4-7 lead, prompting an Italian timeout. Upon return, Slovenia extended their advantage to 5-9. Italy fought back, closing the gap to 10-12 and then leveling the score at 12-12 with Bottolo. Michieletto entered the game for Slovenia at 13-14. Romanò scored to make it 16-17, then won a long rally for 18-19. A skillful play by Giannelli put Italy at 19-20, followed by an ace that tied the score at 20-20. Mati then secured the lead with a powerful block (22-21). Italy closed the set 25-22 on their second set point.

With qualification secured, coach De Giorgi rotated players, giving court time to those with fewer minutes. The lineup featured Sbertoli-Rychlicki, Michieletto-Porro, Sanguinetti-Galassi, and Laurenzano as libero. Slovenia began well, but Italy recovered to tie the score at 12-12. The third set went to deuce, with Slovenia ultimately winning 29-27 after a close contest.

In the fourth set, Sani replaced Michieletto, with the rest of the lineup unchanged from the third. Slovenia took an early lead of 2-5, leading to an Italian timeout. After the break, Galassi scored to make it 4-5, and Italy stayed close despite trailing (8-9, 9-10). Bottolo came in for Porro at 13-10. Italy again found themselves chasing the score in the mid-set (14-17) and Slovenia closed the set 25-19, making the match score 2-2.

Italy started the decisive fifth set strongly, leading 5-2 and maintaining a comfortable margin at 7-4, extending it to 12-6. The Italian team closed out the set 15-9, winning the match 3-2.

Simone Giannelli's Comments

"I think the guys who came in from the third set deserved to play this match. Everyone trains hard and they are incredible players. It was certainly difficult to come in without rhythm, but as the points went by, we significantly raised our level. This is definitely very useful for the upcoming matches."

Kamyl Rychlicki's Comments

"I believe we showed on the court that we were the best in Group A. I am happy because today we also proved that the entire team is ready. Now we need to continue like this. We know well that in such a long tournament, with many matches, the contribution of all players is needed. We are very grateful to play here in Italy with our public, it's wonderful!"

Match Details

ITALY-SLOVENIA 3-2 (25-19, 25-22, 27-29, 19-25, 15-9)

ITALY: Galassi 3, Giannelli 3, Bottolo 6, Mati 9, Romanò 11, Lavia 12, Balaso (L). Laurenzano, Michieletto 8, Sbertoli 2, Sani 4, Rychlicki 13, Porro 3, Sanguinetti 3. Coach: De Giorgi.

SLOVENIA: Planinsic, Sen 16, Kozamernik 2, Bracko 13, Mujanovic 19, Stalekar 11, Kovacic (L). Marovt 1, Okroglic, Krzic 2, Najdic 4. Not played: Pajenk, Urnaut, Mozic. Coach: Soli.

Set Durations: 26', 35', 36', 26', 15' Total: 138'

Italy: 8 aces, 23 service errors, 9 hitting errors, 36 total errors

Slovenia: 5 aces, 24 service errors, 7 hitting errors, 34 total errors

Spectators: 4798

Qualified Teams for the Round of 16

In Pool A, Italy (1st place), Slovenia (2nd place), Greece (3rd place), and Czechia (4th place) advanced. From Pool C, Belgium (1st place), Finland (2nd place), Serbia (3rd place), and Denmark (4th place) qualified.

In Group B, Poland (1st place), Ukraine (2nd place), Bulgaria (3rd place), and Portugal (4th place) advanced.

Group D saw France (1st place), Germany (2nd place), Romania (3rd place), and Latvia (4th place) qualify.