Italvolley, Yuri Romanò’s VNL semifinal is no longer enough
Sweet awakening Thursday morning for the men’s national team fresh from their quarterfinal success against Cuba. The Azzurri are now gearing up to face the Volleyball Nations League 2025 semifinals at their best, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. Italian time at the Beilun Sport and Arts Centre in Ningbo, Ningbo against the winner of the quarterfinal between France and Slovenia (today 3 p.m. Italian time). As with all of Italy’s matches, the match will be broadcast live on DAZN and VBTV platforms.
With yesterday’s victory, Giannelli and his teammates gained access to the semifinals, thus entering the top four teams in the tournament. A journey that began on June 11 in Quebec City, then continued in Chicago and Ljubljana, and came to a close yesterday with the 11th success of the national team led by CT Ferdinando De Giorgi. This afternoon the Azzurri, divided into two groups, will hold a mixed training session between field work and weights session to better prepare for Saturday’s delicate challenge.
Presenting the semifinal is Azzurri opposite Yuri Romanò, a protagonist in the first two stages of the tournament and now back on court for the Finals: “The one against Cuba was a good match and a good victory. An important success, when you get to this point in the competitions, the quarterfinal is always a special match, because it is that match that leads you then to play a medal. We are obviously happy with how it went and now head to the semifinals. This Italy is doing well: we have managed well, also at the physical level, the approach to these Finals and so we are determined. We have reached this point several times in the past years without, however, managing to win the semifinals and so now we have this goal firmly fixed in our heads”.
“We know that the level of this Finals is very high and balanced; there are the top teams right now and so we know that to improve at this level it is the details that then make the difference. We are working on so many aspects to constantly improve and not leave anything to chance. Then we hope in a few days to see the results of so much work. I don’t imagine the semifinals, because maybe thinking about it too much beforehand is not good for us. Based on what the opponent will then be, we will study the match and try to face it with the right serenity. Because it is when we are focused, but above all calm and serene, that we are able to express our game at its best. We will try to interpret it that way”.
