Katowice, September 19, 2021 – Everything is ready for Italy-Slovenia, the final that will crown the winning team of the European Volleyball Men 2021. It’s more than a match: it’s a derby between Italian coaches, Alberto Giuliani on the bench of Slovenia e Fefé De Giorgi at the head of the boys ofItalvolley; is a challenge between two surprises, Slovenia which last night defeated the Polish superfavorites, leaving the more than 10 thousand fans who flocked to cheer the home team speechless, and Italy, which without Osmany Juantorena, Ivan Zaytsev, Massimo Colaci and with eight rookies she immediately proved ready for big competitions. And above all it is the match that could give the Azzurri boys back that European title which has been missing since 2005, when Alessandro Michieletto, the youngest of the team and our top striker, was only 4 years old.
The formations
We know the Slovenians: many of them have played in ours super lega and above all we have already dealt with them in group stage, where we won with a clear 3-0 (27-25; 25-20; 25-23). But the Slovenia that yesterday beat Leon and his team mates is scary. Stern e Cebulj they are ready to put our defense to fire and sword respectively from seat 2 and from seat 4, the captain Tine Urnaut has great experience and always makes the right choice and watch out for Pajenk e Kozamernik in the middle, also considering that yesterday, in the semi-final against Serbia, we struggled a bit against the block.
We rely on the dunks of the young trio composed of Alessandro Michieletto, which despite its 19 years is always guaranteeing high-level performance, Daniele Lavia e Giulio Pinali. Leading the Italvolley is the captain Simone Giannelli, who is ready to sort the game by calling into question the central couple formed by Simone Anzani, the oldest of the blue expedition at just 29 years old, e Gianluca Galassi. The two power stations will also play a fundamental role against the wall, aware however that our superfree will cover their backs Fabio Balaso.
Are you ready to cheer the Azzurri? Here the direct point to point of the game
Second set
10-11: Slovenia goes ahead in counterattack. Time-out Italy, De Giorgi tries to incite his boys: “We are making the final of the European Championship and you have faces …”
10-10: Urnaut passes in the middle of Michieletto’s wall
10-9: Anzani in the first half
9-9: Pinali from the second line lands on the Slovenian field. Challenge: Slovenia point
9-8: Urnaut in parallel, Pinali does not hold in defense
9-7: infringement of Ropret on the net
8-7: very long exchange, but Slovenia point
8-6: Giannelli disguises himself as a hitter and puts her down
7-6: Cebulj misses the serve
6-6: good blue defenses, but Urnaut signs the Slovenian draw
6-5: Pajenk blocks Lavia’s lob
6-4: Ropret opens the game and serves Stern in seat 2
6-3: war between power plants, Galassi in double c
6-2: Pajenk immediately responds to the center
5-2: Giannelli serves a brim in the center to Anzani who is not wrong
4-2: good wall of Pinali but it touches the net
4-1: Michieletto puts the Slovenian reception in difficulty and Lavia pulls very hard on the diagonal
3-1: four touches for Slovenia
2-1: Kozamernic brings Slovenia together with a good first half
2-0: this time we start strong with Michieletto
cousin set
We start off contracts, Slovenia immediately escapes 2-0 and we are no longer able to catch them. The advantage of Urnaut and his companions expands up to +7 from 14-21. There is there blue reaction with a good Michieletto that at the service brings us back to minus 1 on 22-23. Happened however, it does not disappoint Giuliani, who has inserted it specifically for the joke, and closes the first set.
Ready for the second set: we have to fail less to the service and improve the reception, but here we are!
22-25: great serve by Sket. First set for Giuliani’s boys
22-24: Michieletto makes a mistake when he returns to the field. Set-point Slovenia: Sket enters for the serve
22-23: ace from Michieletto in the conflict zone. We are there: time-out Slovenia
21-23: Michieletto pulls very hard to serve and Lavia scores diagonally
20-23: captain Giannelli misses the joke and Urnaut does the same
19-22: ball flush with the net, Pinali with a very fast touch mocked the Slovenian defense
18-22: error of the setter Ropret. Minus 4 Italy, Giuliani calls time-out
17-22: narrow diagonal of Urnaut, who misses very little
16-22: Ropret is also wrong
15-22: Galassi still misses the service. Too many errors from 9 meters in this first set
15-21: Michieletto places the ball in the center of the field
14-21: accompanying foul on cover. Slovenia escapes
14-20: Pajenk puts Michieletto in difficulty and Urnaut does not miss the slash
14-19: Lavia misses the pipe. De GIorgi stops everything: second time out for the Azzurri: “They defend? Patience and let’s continue the action”
14-18: Urnaut makes no mistake with the wall at one
14-17: Pinali misses from 9 meters, but then makes up for the attack. Michieletto returns to the front line for Recine
13-16: first half of Galassi
12-16: on the third attempt Stern pierces the blue wall, which is also an invasion
12-15: Lavia again. Stern stopped at the wall
11-15: Lavia on the upper part of the wall
10-15: ace from Slovenia. Enter Recine in reception
10-14 Giannelli still relies on Pinali but the Slovenian wall blocks
10-13: Michieletto makes a mistake in serving
10-12: Pinali also from place 4
9-12: Kozamernik and primo tempo
9-11: Giannelli in jump unmarks Pinali who puts her down from the second line
8-11: Galassi misses from 9 meters
8-10: Urnaut over the wall with a lob, but accompanies the ball
7-10: Pinali in parallel
6-10: time out Italia
6-9: Michieletto commits an infringement on the net
6-8: super defense of Lavia, but Pinali is wrong in attack
6-7: we contain the Slovenian pipe on the wall and we get closer with a crush by Michieletto
5-7: Lavia responds immediately from place 4
4-7: ace at Cebulj su Balaso
4-6: Balaso is there, but he can’t defend Stern’s parallel
4-5: Stern misses the serve
3-5: Pajenk in the center hole Anzani’s wall
3-4: diagonal of Pianli from place 2
2-4: very long exchange that ends with a goal infringement by Cebulj. First challenge of the match: there is no foul
2-4: Michieletto tries to force the serve, but pulls long
2-3: Lavia in pipe
1-3: Stern makes up for it with an internal parallel
1-2: this time it is Anzani who stops Stern from place 2
0-2: direct ace from Ropret
0-1: the Slovenian wall stops Michieletto
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