Italy advances to World Championship semifinals after defeating Belgium

Updated Wed, September 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM Published Wed, September 24, 2025 at 6:01 PM

Defending champion Italy secured a spot in the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship semifinals by defeating Belgium with a decisive 25-13, 25-18, 25-18 victory.

This win was a revenge for Italy, who had previously lost to Belgium in the pool stage, a loss that served as a wake-up call about the increased level of competition.

Roberto Russo led the Italian offense with 12 points, contributed by kills, blocks, and aces.

Alessandro Michieletto also performed well, scoring 11 points, while Mattia Bottolo and Yuri Romano added 10 and seven points, respectively.

Setter Simone Giannelli provided 30 excellent sets for the Italian team.

Mattia Bottolo stated that reaching the semifinals again is a dream, emphasizing the difficulty of repeating their past success due to the rising level of teams worldwide.

Italy now awaits the winner of the match between Poland and Turkiye in the semifinals.

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