The dream of the Blues to win the first title of world champions of the tricolor volleyball was finally flew.
Le Monde with afp
This time, the showdown was lost: two days after having dominated Japan at the end of the suspense (3-2), the French volleyball team, Olympic champion in reigning, gave in to the tie -Break against Italy (26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 12-15) in the quarter-final of the World Cup, Wednesday September 7, in Ljubljana (Slovenia).
Thus stops, even before the last square, the dream of the Blues to win the first title of world champion in tricolor volleyball, the only one who is missing in the trophy cabinet, garnished with a euro (2015) and Olympic gold, brought back from Tokyo in the summer of 2021.
This is the second time in a row that France has missed the last square of a World Cup, since it had not passed the second group phase during the previous edition, in 2018. It is also the Second time in rank that France does not see the semi-finals of an international competition (excluding League of Nations, won in July): it had taken the door of the Euro in September 2021 in the round of 16 (3-0 ) Against the Czech Republic.
Brazilian Bernardinho was on the bench. The replacement for Olympic champion Laurent Tillie suddenly resigned in March for personal reasons. It was replaced by Italian legend Andrea Giani, whose main leitmotif was to bring consistency to the Blues, so that they stop making the roller coasters in competition, alternating leading performance and outlets of early roads .
It is missed for this time. On a thread since the start of the competition, with a stunning victory against Slovenia in group (3-2) then this eighth finals won in ForcePS against Japan, the “Team Yavbou” gave up.
Italy takes its revenge
This young, ambitious and talented Italy subjected his law in counter and in attack, led by his 20 -year -old nugget Alessandro Michieletto (14 points) and the pointu Yuri Romano (22 points), in a fairly relaxed Arena Stozice But acquired in the Italian cause. Many supporters, in fact, had made the trip from neighboring Italy.
The Italians had benefited from two more recovery days, qualified on Saturday by eliminating Cuba (3-1): did that play? The French have in any case weakened at the end of the match: while they led two sets to one and 14 to 12 in the fourth round, they lost the wire a little to let Italy snatch a tie-break, during which They hoped to perform a crazy comeback. Led 13 to 6, they returned to two lengths (13-11), thanks to a pair of victorious blocks (counter) and an attack by Earvin NgaPeth, before saving a match ball but bowing on the second .
The Italians, widely beaten in front of their audience in Bologna in the semi-finals of the League of Nations in July by the French (3-0), took their revenge. The Blues, they go home a little earlier than to say.