In the end, heads hung, the German volleyball players were angry, including Moritz Karlitzek, their best player on Wednesday evening with 26 points. In the last group game of the European Championship they had just missed the chance to defeat the mighty Italians, the current world and European champions, with a score of 2:3 (22:25, 25:23, 22:25, 25:14, 12:15). . And that in Ancona, where 5275 Tifosi were amazed to learn that their team, which had so far slipped through the tournament without losing a set, is vulnerable after all. That you can break the rhythm with courageous serves, as the selection of the German Volleyball Association showed; that you can put them under so much pressure that they lose a round 14:25 almost undignified against an outsider.
Italy’s winger Alessandro Michieletto later said: “The Germans were strong, especially on the serve, and we need to improve our reception.” 13 aces, which flew around the ears of Michieletto and his colleagues, supported his thesis.
This final game did not have a decisive impact on the group stage: after three wins against Estonia, Switzerland (3-0 each) and Belgium (3-2) and their first defeat of the tournament against Serbia (1-3) on Tuesday, the Germans already in third place, they could not be denied a place in the round of 16 of the European Championship. And yet it turned out that the team of national coach Michael Winiarski impresses in this tournament with a squad depth that can still make some things possible for them in the knockout phase.
Winiarski had rested his most important axis against Italy, setter Lukas Kampa, 36, and main attacker Georg Grozer, 38, received a pleasant break after their many appearances. The Germans lost the experience of more than 400 international matches as a result, but Johannes Tille, 26, who officiated the game for Kampa, and Erik Röhrs, 22, who replaced Grozer, integrated wonderfully into the team. Tille also inspired the German game with his dreaded jump serve, Röhrs was the second best German scorer with 16 points at the end.
“Full attack on Holland,” says libero Julian Zenger
Winiarski also had an outside attacker in Moritz Karlitzek who was unstoppable even by the world’s best volleyball players – as his 26 points proved (Michieletto was Italy’s best man with 21). In the end, the Germans even scored seven points more than Italy – all sets statistically added up. They can’t buy anything from it, even in the world rankings relevant for the Olympic qualification, they can only advance by winning against teams that are placed ahead of them. Nevertheless: “It was important that we went onto the field with energy and played a game like that,” said libero Julian Zenger. Especially with a view to the upcoming round of 16, this “gave our team another big boost”.
On Saturday (9 p.m.), world number 15 Germany will meet world number 10 Netherlands in Bari in their first knockout game at this European Championship -Test games but has also already conquered. “Full attack on Holland” was Libero Zenger’s broad-shouldered motto on Wednesday evening. Why should they change their route, which had almost led to success even against tournament favorites Italy?
