Italy is, at best. After triumphing at the European Championships last year, the men’s volleyball team brought home the world trophy by wresting it from Poland, fresh after two World Cups in a row, both in the final against Brazil. A blue goal with a touch of company, not only because yesterday the opposing team played at home, at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, to the applause of 12,000 fans for whom volleyball is almost a national sport – a bit like for us football. But also why this victory comes 24 years after the last successthe third of a so-called generation of phenomena who, in three victorious expeditions, managed to dominate their rivals at the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Championships.
An epic season that seemed impossible to relive, especially after the disaster at the Tokyo Olympics and the inevitable process of renewing a team of boys, whose average age is 24, in their first big challenge since the European Championships. , just a year ago he always won at the stadium in Katowice. The blue team, on the other hand, rose to the occasion and wrested the title from the reigning champions in a triumphant game against an initially superior Poland. A success that bears the signature of a new technician Ferdinand De Giorgithe so-called “hero of three worlds” because he was able to win three world championships as a player on three different continents, in Brazil, Greece and Japan – he was also part of a generation of phenomena – and now in his fourth victory, the first with a coach.
In Italvolley from last year, Fefe was immediately able to rally a group of boys who had never played together as a team before, but who, with a reinforcing recipe made up of dedication, a spirit of self-sacrifice – a little chatter, a lot of walls and crushes – and a desire to dream big succeeded in the unthinkable. After losing the first set 25-22, the Azzurri changed their minds and, despite the applause of the opponents in the stadium, were able to react by winning 25-21. The third set ended with an even bigger gap, 25-18, and in the deciding set, a 25-20 victory confirmed the quality of a group with more head, legs and heart. “The team was monumental, I dedicate this victory to my family, my wife. We did an incredible thing, in their house, no one expected it, not even us,” Fabio Balaso commented on the final in SkyTg24 microphones. “We have always kept our cool, even in the lead. This was the secret, it was important not to succumb to haste. We are a special group, united: we have done something extraordinary, now we will understand.”
There is still a long way to go from here to the next Paris Olympics in 2024, but Italvolley promises great joy. Meanwhile, today the team will be a guest at the Quirinal, where they will be received by President Sergio Mattarella to receive due honors from the head of state.
Source: Elle