2010 FIVB Men’s World Championship: Italy starts campaign on solid footing
A premier event in the world of volleyball, the 2010 FIVB Men’s World Championship is currently underway in Italy. The tournament started off on Saturday, 25th September, 2010 with the first-round matches between the best teams in volleyball from
around the globe. This amalgamation of 24 teams is divided into 6 pools and two matches are being played on a daily basis in 10 different venues across the country. Italy is placed in Pool A along with teams from Iran, Egypt and Japan.
Italy vs. Japan
Italy opened the championship by taking on Japan in the first match on 25th September, 2010. The Mediolanum Forum di Assago in Milan hosted the first combat in Pool A matches. Italy was in great form which minimal effort annihilated Japan in straight
sets with scores of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-14 in front of a crowd of 11,800 spectators present on the occasion.
Both teams had spent enough time in training and practice during the last few months. Italy served well in the first set and poised their feet on the court. Despite Japan displaying good defensive skills, Italy had the home-court advantage which worked in
their favour. With a good combination of experience and youth, the Italian team took 27 minutes to claim victory in the first set 25-20.
With a good start to the game, Italy kept on hitting in the same area and put Japan under intense pressure. The guest team displayed a good temperament and blocked many Italian attacks on their court. Italy proved to be too good for them as they widened
the points’ difference by winning the second set 25-16.
With two sets in their bag, the Italians were proving to be too good for them. Japan was forced to stay behind the attack line as Italy surged ahead. Japan only managed to win 14 points in the final set as Italy bagged the third set 25-14 to win the match.
Egypt vs. Italy
In the next match on Sunday, 26th September, 2010 Italy was up against a charged up Egyptian side after their win against Iran. Despite having the momentum on their side, Egypt could not fight the challenge as the Italians won the match 3-0 with
scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-23.
Both teams were battling for supremacy after being undefeated in the tournament. The game started off at par. The Egyptians however had some glaring loop-holes in their defensive line which proved to be a bane for them. Italy's hard-hitting play pushed them
in the back-court area. Italy moved forward with good pace and availed every single opportunity in the game. The Italians were able to build a solid lead and maintained it till the end of the first game with a 25-20 win to gain an early advantage in the match.
Hosts’ Italy continued in the second set as they delivered brilliant shots and contributed to their score. Italian spiker Parodi Simone was the centre of attention as he exhibited an excellent performance during the second set with a 25-17 win.
The Egyptians were quite upset with the loss in the first two sets. Consequently, they decided to come up with a different approach in third set in a bid to penetrate the Italian strikes. Italy was equally active on the other side of the court. A close fight
was staged in third set but victory graced Italy as they got a kill in the ending moments of the set.
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