Champions League, easy life for Milan in Belgium

Champions League, easy life for Milan in Belgium

Nineteen and eighteen balls put on the ground, including three aces, in their Cev Champions League debut. Allianz Milano celebrates the passage of the round with the second place guaranteed and the first place to be played against Zawiercie (on January 29) and cuddles its young giant, Tommaso Barotto, also chosen as Mvp at the end of the match won with great authority against Knack Roeselare, in Belgium. Allianz Milano needed a set to secure the passage of the round, and the task is accomplished after just over twenty minutes. Coach Roberto Piazza’s team thus continued its positive streak with its third peremptory victory during 2025. Third 3-0, two in SuperLega against Monza and Verona, one in Champions against a’respectable opponent, which in the first match at the Allianz Cloud had taken the Lombards to the tie-break.

It’s the absences that hold sway in the pre-match. Allianz Milano must do without its captain and vice-captain. If Matteo Piano è remained in Italy due to the aftermath of the gastrointestinal syndrome suffered during Sunday’s trip to Verona, Matey Kaziyski è also had to stop at the hotel in Roeselare due to a flu syndrome. Blue stripe on the jersey then for Yacine Louati. Definitely heavy is also the absence in the ranks of Knack Roeselare, because é Basil Dermaux opposite class 2003 as well as the’opponent and national teammate, Ferre Reggers, suffered the’hand injury during a training session and è on the bench, but with the free jersey.

Coach Roberto Piazza starts with the’unprecedented Porro-Barotto diagonal, receiving setters Gardini and Louati, captain Caneschi and Schnitzer at center and Catania at libero. Steven Vanmedegael comes up with a lineup with three setters. C’è Seppe Rotty opposite veteran D’Ulst, formerly of Civitanova. At center 35-year-old Coolman, at the Knack for a lifetime, and 23-year-old Lennert Van Elsen, receivers captain Verhanneman with Canadian Erik Siksna, libero Dennis Deroey.

The chronicle
Barotto will be among the absolute protagonists of the match and puts the first two points on Milan’s action well unleashed by Porro (3-3 and 4-4). Gardini aided by the tape signs a mini-break for Allianz with the serve. Louati without a wall plants a nail in the three-meter line on the leg of D’Ulst, who doesn’t like it, then Gardini in pipe for 6-8. Davide, son of art, also wants to bring home the three points in Champions, as a few minutes earlier his dadà Andrea did (as coach) against Vero Volleyball with his Olympiakos. Porro serves for 6-10. Knack doesn’t go for it and triggers Rotty to 9-11. Allianz blaze, Barotto from second line, Louati stops Rotty at wall and on 11-17 there’s the second Roeselare time out. Gardini scores again (4 points in the partial with 60% positivity, same points as her French department colleague, with 50%), then Schnitzer serves the 16-22 ace, taking advantage of Siksna’s inaccuracy in reception. Porro walled Verhanneman, then Rotty’s error 17-25 and secured qualification for Allianz Milano. The Milanese reception è really very good (74%) and the 4 Allianz walls weigh on the set.

No change in the 6+1 on court, Allianz Milano leads 3-6 with a definitely inspired Gardini, Knack comes back, but again Gardini’s pipe for 5-8. Keeps the three-point lead the Italian team until 9-12, but Rotty on serve nibbles a little point. Barotto attacks from the second line: 11-15 and Roeselare time out. Louati wall on Rotty for 12-19 and second time out, at -7 it’s cold for the hosts in Roeselare’s Tomabel Hall with many of the nearly 2,000 spectators dumbfounded. Verhanneman tries with the 15-22 ace, but Barotto (8 points in the first two sets) è a ruling against the newly arrived Dutchman Wijkstra for an inconsistent Siksna. Ace also by Coolman: 17-24, but Allianz closes 18-25 in 23’ like the first partial. Milanese walls rise to 6.
Third partial with Mills on opposite court and Rotty returning lateral, Piazza instead does not change. After the initial point-to-point è just Seppe Rotty, definitely more comfortable in place four to sign the break of 10-8. Tomabel Hall comes back into the picture. Here’s Barotto’s triple ace (the first seen only by the Challenge well called by Piazza) for the’11-13. The Milanese oppostone exalts himself and from the second line also makes it 14 with Roeselare time out. Milan flies, could be the knockout blow. It does not stop Allianz even at the wall, the partial è of 5-0. The Belgian team tries to get back into the match. Two walls by Van Elsen for 14-16. A bad mistake by Mills is worth forò the +4 (15-19). In comes Otsuka for Louati, after another point by Barotto 16-20. Piazza stops the game and on Rotty’s service turn always incisive (18-20). Gardini surgical in parallel for point number 22 (at 18) and time out Vanmedegael. Coolman’s ace makes it 20-23, but he misses the next, the center, there are four match points for Allianz Milano, Otusuka closes 20-25. Game, match, match and qualification.

KNACK ROESELARE – ALLIANZ MILAN 0-3 (17-25, 19-25, 20-25)
KNACK ROESELARE: D’Hulst, Coolman 5, Van Elsen 7, Verhanneman 4, Rotty 11, Dermaux (L2) ne, Deroey (L), Siksna 2, Wijkstra 1, Van Elsen 7, Verhanneman 4, Lips ne, Van Hoyeweghen, Mills 1, Haapaniemi ne. All. Steven Vanmedegael. Ass. Marcin Nowakowski.
ALLIANZ MILAN: Porro 1, Barotto 18, Gardini 11, Louati 11, Schnitzer 6, Catania (L), Caneschi 6, Larizza ne, Staforini ne, Zonta ne, Reggers ne, Otsuka 1. All. Roberto Piazza. Ass. Nicola Daldello.

Referees: Mathias Ewald (Germany) and Maria de las Olas Rodriguez Machin (Spain)
Spectators: 2000
Mvp: Tommaso Barotto (Allianz Milan)

Notes: Set durations 23’, 23’ and 26’ for a’total of one hour and 12 minutes.
Walls point Milan 8, Roeselare 4. Attack point Milan 63%, Roeselare 37%. Point hits Milan 6 with 20 errors, Roeselare 5 with 13 errors. Positive reception Milan 48% (26% perfect), Roeselare 47% (22%).

The words of Tommaso Barotto at the end of the match
“I am delighted with how è this debut went. For me it was my first ever starting role with Allianz Milano and è it was a really strong emotion. We played in a sold out palasport where you can really breathe international volleyball. I am happy with the performance first of all of the team, the way they played. Then of course, there’è also personal satisfaction, I am very satisfied indeed. Now we already have to put our heads to Sunday because Piacenza is coming and it will be a difficult match. We will really try hard to take some points and also avenge a little bit’ of the 3-0 defeat in the’first leg. I can assure everyone that we will play to win”.

The words of Ferre Reggers unusually unemployed this evening
“We are very happy to have won this match in three sets. We have a very busy time ahead of us in the next few weeks in the SuperLeague as well. We knew that Knack Roeselare was missing one of its key players, so we changed our team plan. We started very aggressively and they had difficulty in reception. I want to congratulate their fans for creating a great atmosphere in the arena”.

The words of Kack Roeselare captain Matthijs Verhanneman
“È obviously a big disappointment for us not to have won even one set, but today we never got into the heart of the game. We è lacked the power of our opposite number Basil Dermaux, who is currently è injured. As a result, we had to change our set-up, with Seppe Rotty in the opposite position. In addition, Milan put incredible pressure on the serve, taking the volleyball to a very high level. I have to congratulate the Italian team's excellent performance.