Superlega, 8th matchday advance: Cisterna shot, record tie-break victory in Milan

Milan-Cisterna 2-3 (34-32, 21-25, 33-31, 21-25, 13-15)

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Cisterna conquers the Allianz Cloud at the tie break in the longest match since the rally point system has existed (2 hours and 51 minutes of actual play) and hooks Padua and Modena in the standings at the end of a beautiful and full of emotions race. Piazza confirms the usual six plus one with Porro as director, Patry opposite, Ishikawa and Jaeschke in the band, Piano and Chinenyeze in the center and Pesaresi free. Soli (who finds Lanza on the bench after the absence against Monza) deploys Baranowicz on the dribble with Dirlic diagonally, Rinaldi and Maar spikers, Zingel and Bossi in the middle, with Cavaccini free. Cisterna immediately puts the turbo with an incisive service and great attention to the wall. Milan suffers from Pontine aggression and it takes a while to fuel up. Ahead 9-3, however, Top Volley slows down the pace and Allianz finds aggression and continuity in the same fundamentals. The result is a physical and technical melee with Milan recovering but, with a bloody mistake in construction, gives the opponents the advantage of the first set point. Another game of muscles, nerves and forehead flips begins. And in the end, Jaeschke’s ace at the intersection of the lines is worth the 34-32 that brings Milan forward. Cisterna’s reaction is almost immediate: the Allianz tries to escape by taking advantage of the physiological blow suffered by Soli’s team but, already in the middle of the set, with Lanza and Szwarc on the pitch for Rinaldi and Dirlic, the Lazio players regain clarity, precision and certainties, they recover and make the most of a decline in Milan’s nerves to bring the match back into equality. Balance reigns on the pitch also in the third set, in some ways (and especially in the final) a photocopy of the first (with the pontini losing Szwarc to a knee injury). Like the fourth, with Cisterna who takes off after a few moments of tension with the referees and then goes to win the tie break in a sprint.