World swimming championships, sevens for fifth place

Montenegro-Italy 6-10

Italy clinches the final for fifth place to be played on Saturday, July 29 at 4:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. Italian time). After a contracted start the Azzurri melted away and passed the Montenegrins who had been leading 2-1. Damonte’s hat trick. Immediate reaction after the defeat against Serbia in the quarterfinals, with armored defense and the right intensity that can guide us to the coveted international goals. Now the world tournament must be honored in the best possible way against France, who beat the United States on penalties 18-16 and against whom the Settebello debuted at the world championship winning 13-6.

Sandro Campagna’s comment. “We had two up and down days. On the one hand the disappointment of losing on penalties on the other the desire for revenge. Today the boys showed it. If we didn’t make so many mistakes at the beginning in attack we could have closed the scoreboard with a heavier gap. The defense was outstanding. Now we must react and not be overcome by discouragement. We must believe in our means, which are high, and the human qualities that the boys have I am sure will make a difference in the future already starting with the Euroepo in Israel in January. Now I also want to win the final for fifth place to honor this tournament in the best possible way. If we can get to the bottom without ever being defeated in regular time I think it would be a record.”

Luca Damonte’s comment. “We all reacted badly to the defeat against Serbia. We wanted to go all the way, but we promised ourselves that we will do it well even if not in the top four. Today we gave a good signal by finding our mechanisms especially in defense. For me, who also missed the decisive penalties, the backlash was heavier. Now we need to show to close the tournament well.”