There’s no bigger stage for drama than the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship — and on Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Argentina delivered one of its most stunning plot twists yet.
The World No. 8 Argentines took down reigning Olympic champion France in a five-set thriller, 28-26, 25-23, 21-25, 20-25, 15-12, sweeping Pool C with an unblemished 3-0 record and sending the heavily-favored French crashing out of the tournament in the preliminary round.
Argentina nearly squandered a 2-0 advantage but regained its composure in the decisive set. The team showed steelier nerves than the fourth-ranked French, who had hoped to force a three-way tie in the group.
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Instead, the victory propelled Finland (2-1) into the second Round of 16 ticket from Pool C, riding on its own upset win over France earlier in the week.
Luciano Vicentin powered La Albiceleste with 22 points built on 21 attacks, while fellow wing Luciano Palonsky added 17.
Captain Agustin Loser Bruno chipped in 12, while Pablo Sergio Kourkartsev scored 10. Veteran setter Luciano De Cecco orchestrated the Argentine offense to perfection, tallying 45 excellent sets — the most of any playmaker heading into the knockout rounds.
“For us, it was an incredible game. It felt like a final,” said the 25-year-old Vicentin. “We are Argentina, we come from so far away, so this was really important. We were winning, we were losing, but we kept fighting until the end — and in the end, we won. We’re so happy.”
Argentina’s precision was most evident in the fifth set, where De Cecco turned the match into a masterclass in distribution. He kept France’s blockers guessing with his balanced playmaking that fed Vicentin, Palonsky, Bruno, and Kourkartsev.
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France, which had entered the tournament as a heavy favorite after its golden run at the Paris Olympics, never found its footing.
Trevor Clevenot led with 17 points, while Theo Faure added 13. Barthelemy Chinenyeze and Nicolas Le Goff chipped in 11 each.
However, their top guns faltered when it mattered most — Yacine Louati finished with nine, while Paris MVP Earvin Ngapeth and Jean Patry were limited to just seven points apiece.
Instead of another deep run, Les Bleus were left stunned with an early exit, their Olympic glory fading against Argentina’s relentless firepower.
Argentina now advances to the Round of 16 as Pool C’s top seed, where it will face the second-ranked team from Pool F, contested between defending champion Italy and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Finland, riding its own momentum, will battle Pool F leader Belgium at the Mall of Asia Arena.
#WATCH: Luciano de Cecco applauds Argentina’s young guns as his hunt for an elusive World Championship continues at #MWCH2025 🇦🇷🏐
📹 @ErnestTuazon /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/XurwhktZSj
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 18, 2025
