The Italian national team fails to confirm itself as continental champion: in the final of the European Championships, the Italians, the defending champions and world champions, surrender in three sets to an implacable Poland, but still come out to the thunderous applause of a Palazzo dello Sport in Rome sold out. MVP of the European Championship the spiker of Sir Susa Vim Perugia Wilfredo Leon.
Poland plays an almost perfect match, Giannelli and his teammates fight and try on several occasions to reopen the games, but despite the efforts and the push of the 11,300 spectators the men coached by Grbic get the better of every part (20-25, 21- 25, 23-25). It is therefore Kurek and his companions who lift the Cup, presented by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella.
It was Italy’s first defeat at EuroVolley 2023, as well as the third medal obtained from 2021 onwards, in addition to the two “Golds” of the 2021 European Championship and the 2022 World Cup. Among the winning Polish players, two will participate at the next SuperLega Credem Banca, both players from Sir Susa Vim Perugia: Wilfredo Leon (CEV EuroVolley MVP) and Kamil Semeniuk.
Simone Giannelli (Sir Susa Vim Perugia): “You have to be objective and compliment your opponent. Unfortunately they were better than us today. I am proud of my team, of wearing this shirt and of the support of all the people who came tonight and who follow us. It is a medal with an interesting colour, however. Wasn’t Italy the best? Let’s say that they won the gold and were better, we won the silver. We suffered their serve, they kept us away from the net, making our game more predictable. If you don’t receive well it’s tough, especially against a team that blocks well and then forces you to play the ball high. The thing that I regret is that even when they didn’t serve so well, we weren’t able to express ourselves at our best by not being able to take advantage of it. They are all lessons, sport is also this.
Daniele Lavia (Itas Trentino): “We must applaud the public who were close to us. Even today, in times of difficulty, they were always there trying to help us and push us. From the second set onwards, apart from Leon they lightened it up, at the end of the second and beginning of the third set we adjusted the reception and Simone was able to manage more options. Then it was a matter of details. But this is volleyball and this is sport. We are good at looking at the positive side after defeats, today it hurts a lot, but in my opinion this defeat will help us.
