The semi-finals of the 2022 Men's Volleyball World Championship were held in Katowice, Poland on the 10th.
In the second semifinal, Italy comfortably defeated Slovenia 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) to advance to the final for the first time since 1998. Conversely, Slovenia missed out on their first chance to reach the final.
Italy will face Poland, who have won the tournament two years in a row, at 9:00 p.m. local time on the 11th, with a chance to win their first tournament in six years since 1998.
After the match, Italy captain Simone Giannelli gave us his comments.
Did you think the match would end so easily?
It wasn't easy. It's difficult for any team to face Slovenia. They played good volleyball, but we played better volleyball. Slovenia's serve wasn't that good and they made a lot of mistakes, so we won. I'm very happy, but we have to think about the next match.
-Who do you think is the player we need to be most wary of in tomorrow's match?
Everyone. I don't like to be worried about just one thing. Tomorrow is the final. Anything can happen. Poland is definitely a strong team and they will be very keen to win the tournament for the second time in a row. Poland has 14 great players. They are strong, but we just have to play our best volleyball here.
-What do you think is Italy's greatest strength for victory?
I don't know. I think it depends on the opponent. We just have to do everything we can.
- Do you think this venue had a positive influence on the victory over Slovenia (Italy won against Slovenia in the European Championship final at the same venue last year)?
That was over a year ago now, and a lot has changed in that time, so I don't think it's relevant.
Photo: FIVB
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