Volleyball World, towards Katowice: Slovenia-Italy like a year ago

by our correspondent Gian Luca Pasini

September 8
– LUBIANA (Slovenia)

Volleyball is a strange world. It may happen that the two coaches who have just scorned in a quarter-final re-meet outside the hotel and start talking about the old days. But also to congratulate himself on the performance of their respective teams. This is what happened to Andrea Giani and Fefé De Giorgi, respectively the coach of France and Italy, a few hours after the epic challenge that brought Italy among the top 4 teams of the World Cup, 12 years after the last time. Thirty-two years later than when De Giorgi and Giani had done it for the first time in Rio De Janeiro, when Italy won its first title. The two players (there are nine years of difference, 61 years for the Italian coach, 52 for the French coach) are 4 of the Italians who can boast of having won 3 consecutive world championships (the other two Bracci and Gardini). They hugged and talked about when Fefé raised fast for Giangio … Now the coach from Modena returns home (after having won the Nations League in July), while the blue coach continues his race towards the medal area.

Towards Katowice

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Today Italy is traveling together with Slovenia on a charter flight to Katowice, while the other two quarters are played in Gliwica today: Brazil Argentina and then Poland United States. Italy, on the other hand, is waiting for Slovenia which last night struggled a lot against the surprising Ukraine. “I think Italy is the favorite team – said Tine Urnaut, one of Slovenia’s cornerstones – if only because he has just beaten Olympic champion France. But after this group my team will try to the last point. it owes to the people who came to support us in Ljubljana (over 55,000 appearances in 5 matches played in the capital, ed) “. Curiously Slovenia-Italy is the same final that aired a year ago, in the same Polish sports hall, when Italy had won the European title. It was a 5-set marathon. The Slovenians have won 3 European silver medals since 2015 (with Giani on the bench) and then in 2019 and 2021 (both with Giuliani on the bench). The match for the semifinals is on Saturday. Final Sunday.