Volleyball, Italy beats Bulgaria and confirms itself as world champion

Italy is still the volleyball world champion. In Manila, the Azzurri beat Bulgaria 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 25-10) to win their second consecutive world title after Katowice in 2010. The Azzurri's title follows the one won by the women a few weeks ago. The only precedent of the men's-women's double goes back more than 60 years to the Soviet Union in 1960 and before that to 1952. For the Azzurri this is the fifth World Championship in history at men's level.

The first set was hard-fought from the very first points, in which coach Ferdinando De Giorgi's boys tried to break away by relying on 'the usual' Michieletto and Romanò, but Blengini's Bulgaria remained glued in the score. The Azzurri then increased their level at the wall and managed to extend the lead, taking the first partial 25-21. The Bulgarian reaction arrived at the start of the second set. Nikolov tried to sound the charge and his national team found itself ahead, but the joy was short-lived. Italy rediscovered compactness in defence and continuity on the serve: Giannelli placed the wall and Romanò signed another ace, allowing the Azzurri to overtake. From that moment on, it was a domination certified by the result of the second partial: 25-17.

In the third set, Italy picked up where it left off. Romanò was again devastating on serve, finding the fifth ace of his match, and Bulgaria tried to step up their attack level to stay on point. The Azzurri dropped and Blengini's team pulled away, taking a five-point lead at 15-10 thanks to Nikolov, winning on serve and at the wall, with the Azzurri imprecise especially in reception. De Giorgi tried to move the bench and Italy shortened the score, pushed by the Giannelli-Michieletto axis, Italian champions with Trento. Bulgaria, however, did not let up and managed to bring home the partial 25-17.

Italy reacted immediately at the start of the fourth set. The Azzurri went ahead 9-3, spurred on by Michieletto, incisive in attack and at the wall, and Bottolo, who, after a disappointing third set, regained his place in the starting line-up. The points passed and Bulgaria became discouraged, with Italy taking advantage and increasing their lead to 19-10. The rest was a slow approach to the Azzurri party, which exploded when the fourth set ended with a 25-10 victory certifying the superiority of De Giorgi's team. This is how history is written.

The invitation from the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who speaks of a 'deserved victory', was not long in coming. The appointment is for Wednesday, 8 October at 4 p.m. De Giorgi's boys thus join Velasco's girls, who had already been invited earlier after their victory at the World Cup in Thailand. "Congratulations and congratulations on a well-deserved victory. After watching the semi-final with Poland I was optimistic about the final success. I look forward to seeing you at the Quirinale to thank you. The Quirinale contacted Coni's number 1 Luciano Buonfiglio to convey the Head of State's congratulations to the federation, team and staff. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also joined the celebrations on social media: "After the extraordinary success of the women's national team, the Azzurri volleyball team also won gold at the World Cup, for the second consecutive time. You are the pride of an Italy that wins!".