It is the last blow of the tail of this endless summer of sport that does not give up despite the rains and storms that hit the country. Italy ends this extraordinary season of success with a flourish with a new enterprise that still warms our hearts. The Azzurri of volleyball, following the example of the girls, win the European title by beating Slovenia at the last minute (3-2) after a very exciting and not at all obvious comeback.
It is the seventh title in eleven finals. And it allows the blue team to climb to the top step of an international competition after the Olympic beating suffered in Tokyo against Argentina in the quarter-finals.
We are on the top of Europe thanks to a team completely renewed by the new coach Ferndinando De Giorgi. A very young team, with 9 rookies, which allows us to look to the future with the confidence and optimism of those who have sown well. Also surprising is Slovenia, a country of two million inhabitants, which excels not only in volleyball, but also in basketball and cycling. And speaking of cycling, and of prolonged magical summer, one cannot fail to celebrate Filippo Ganna’s encore in the time trial world championship in Bruges. An extraordinary exploit that of the Piedmontese, who beat the Belgians (Van Aert and Evenepoel) right in Flanders, in the sanctuary of two wheels, where cycling is more popular than football and a time trial is followed by over 200 thousand fans.
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Moving on to the championship, and to the key match Juventus-Milan, those who just can’t get a shot from behind is Allegri’s team who, despite dominating in the first half (Morata’s goal in the 4 ‘), is caught up in the second half thanks to a precise header from Rebic on corner kick action. A draw that heartened Milan (first to 10 points with Inter waiting for Napoli’s match against Udinese) but that throws further salt into the Juventus injuries. Two points in four games are a rather disturbing balance for a battleship like Juventus which, now, is still less than eight from the top of the standings. A heavy gap but that could grow to more than ten in the case of a Napoli victory in the Monday postponement.
After a good first half, Allegri’s team fell apart in the second half when Milan – with five players fewer – realized that the bianconeri were starting to lose hits and the two strikers, Morata and Dybala, were now at the end. Left on the bench Chiesa, and with Bonucci preferred to De Ligt, Juventus did not sink the blow when Milan were in obvious difficulty and were unable to regroup. Morata, perhaps the most inspired, was often left alone. His goal was very nice, born from a precise throw by Dybala, able to exploit a previous blunder by Teo Hernandez during a corner kick by the Rossoneri.
It is striking, however, that the bianconeri not only were not able to close the game, but that they were then surprised by Rebic’s header on an inactive ball. An intolerable naivety in a team that aspires to the Scudetto. Perhaps Allegri should have started immediately with Chiesa, to make his greater attacking pressure weigh immediately, even if the real limit of the bianconeri, in addition to a midfield with little personality (bad also Locatelli), was that of poor resistance. Ninety minutes won’t hold them. And this against Milan, despite Allegri’s bluffs, was not just any match. Winning was necessary, almost mandatory, to get out of the shallows. Now everything gets even more difficult.