Twenty-four years later, Italvolley is once again world champion. And as in 1998 Ferdinando De Giorgi is there. Then he was a player, today he is the coach of the team that dominated the world championship from the first to the last meeting and folded in the final in Katowice, the hosts of Poland chasing the third world title in a row. Italy wins in comeback. After losing the first set, De Giorgi’s boys took the field and dominated the match. In the end it is 3-1 for the Azzurri (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-2). After the European gold of a year ago, De Giorgi’s boys complete the feat in Poland and conquer the fourth world championship in the history of Italvolley. And tomorrow, upon returning to Italy, the national team will be received by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. At the Spodek Arena in Katowice, in front of over 10 thousand Polish fans, the Azzurri challenge Poland who has just won two consecutive World Cups, both in the final against Brazil.
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For Italy it is the fourth world title after those obtained in 1990, 1994 and 1998 and thus becoming the only team after the USSR (at 6) to reach this goal (ANSA)
The Azzurri after having overtaken France gold medal at the last Olympics. In the pit of Katowice a year ago the Italy of Fefè De Giorgi became European champion. For the challenge that is worth the world title De Giorgi confirms the team that yesterday beat Slovenia with captain Simone Giannelli and Yuri Romanò diagonally setter-opposite, spikers Alessandro Michieletto and Daniele Lavia, Gianluca Galassi and Simone Anzani in the center, Fabio Balaso is the free. The first set goes on point by point, then Italy manages to carry on until 21-17 then an inexplicable blackout by the Azzurri allows Poland to score a partial 8-1 and win the first fraction 25-22. The second set begins uphill for the Azzurri but the reaction of the sextet coached by De Giorgi is not long in coming: Italy finds play and consistency in the service, recovering a disadvantage of -4 and equalizing the scores of the sets (25-21). The third set is all of the blue brand that makes fewer and fewer mistakes and puts Poland two-time world champion in serious difficulty.
The blues dominate in all fundamentals against the reigning world champions. Italy is in full control and even the fourth set sees the domination of the blues who write a new page in the history of Italian sport. The Azzurri arrived at this having won all the matches played so far. First the three of the elimination round (all with the result of 3-0) against Canada, Turkey and China, then the round of 16 against Cuba for 3-1, the quarter-finals against the Olympic champions of France for 3-2 and the semifinal against Slovenia 3-0. Brazil completes the world podium, overcoming Slovenia 3-1 in the final with partial sets of 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18. For the verdeoro this is the sixth consecutive edition on the podium after the victories in 2002, 2006 and 2010, and the second place in 2014 and 2018.
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