Defending champions Italy leaned on its lethal trio to fend off a relentless Argentina side, emerging with a hard-fought 25-23, 25-20, 25-22 victory and a spot in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship quarterfinals on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Alessandro Michieletto, Yuri Romano, and Mattia Bottolo carried the Azzurri offense, combining for 42 points to keep Argentina at bay.
Michieletto spearheaded the attack with 12 kills and three blocks for 15 points, while Romano’s nine spikes, four aces, and one block contributed 14 points. Bottolo chipped in 13 points, including the game-winning kill.
Romano’s three consecutive aces late in the third set gave Italy a 24-20 match point. Argentina’s Luciano Vincentin and Joaquin Gallego then staved off two points before Bottolo sealed the straight-set triumph.
“It was a really tough game. Argentina never gave up and played very well throughout the tournament,” Romano said. “We maintained the right mentality from start to finish, and I’m very happy with our performance.”
Italy’s orchestrator, reigning MVP and Best Setter Simone Giannelli, directed traffic with 34 excellent sets, adding three points of his own, including the crucial set-clinching attacks in the first two frames.
“We are very happy with this result,” said Italy coach Ferdinando De Giorgi. “We played a solid match on serve and block, and Argentina also played really well. It’s 3-0, but it was a strong contest.”
Argentina, which swept Pool C en route to eliminating Olympic champion France, bowed out despite strong individual efforts.
Vicentin led the charge with 15 points, while Gallego had nine. Palonsky and Loser contributed eight points each.
Italy now awaits the winner of the Belgium-Finland Round of 16 clash for a quarterfinal showdown on September 24.
