Italy rips Poland, forges title match with Bulgaria

Italy is the reigning world champion for a reason.

The Italians proved it in style, putting on a methodical clinic against world No. 1 Poland with a 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 sweep to advance to the finals of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

World No. 2 Italy unleashed a barrage of aces and blocks in the third set to complete a stunning comeback and secure a sweep in a clash between two volleyball powerhouses that was expected to go down to the wire.

The Italians needed only 85 minutes to dispatch Poland, asserting dominance over their fierce rivals once again after defeating them in the final of the 2022 edition at home.

Italy will attempt to defend its title against surprise finalist and world No. 9 Bulgaria, which eliminated No. 18 Czechia in four sets to continue its Cinderella run into the gold medal match.

Yuri Romano and Alessandro Michieletto spearheaded the Italian assault with 15 and 12 points, respectively, as Italy avenged its loss to Poland in last month’s VNL championship in China, a precursor to the 32-team world championship.

“I was very happy. I cried a little because the emotion is really strong. Now we have to try to reset and rest a bit. There isn’t much time, as we need to scout the other team and prepare for another great match,” said Romano.

Captain and setter Simone Giannelli orchestrated Italy’s offense with 25 sets, while Roberto Russo and Mattia Battolo contributed six and four points, most coming in the third set, helping snap Poland’s unbeaten streak from the group stage.

Italy had absorbed an early preliminary round defeat against Belgium, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13, before gradually heating up, including a decisive 3-0 quarterfinal sweep of the same Belgians.

Poland, meanwhile, had looked ready to challenge Italy, taking a 12-8 lead early in the first set. But what seemed like an easy start for the Poles quickly turned when Romano and Michieletto led a comeback, highlighted by Mattia Battolo’s powerful hammer.

Italy dominated the second set and, when Poland threatened to extend the match in the third set with a 17-14 lead, the Italians showcased their championship pedigree once again. An 8-2 rally capped by Simone Anzani’s back-to-back blocks—his only points of the match—broke Poland’s momentum and gave Italy a 22-19 lead en route to victory.

Even a late push by Poland to close within 23-24 off a Norbert Huber block wasn’t enough, as Michieletto delivered a thunderous finisher to the delight of nearly 10,000 fans.

Super spiker Wilfredo Leon led Poland with 14 points, the only player to reach double digits for the top-ranked side, which will now aim for a consolation bronze-medal finish against Czechia.

Earlier, rising star Aleksandar Nikolov exploded for 31 points on 27 hits, three aces, and a block as Bulgaria reached the final for the first time since 1970, when they won silver behind East Germany.

Captain Aleks Grozdanov (12) and Asparuh Asparuhov (10) provided solid support, while Simeon Nikolov orchestrated the Bulgarian offense with 43 sets during their thrilling reverse sweep of crowd favorite USA in the semifinals.

Lukas Vasina scored 17, while Jan Galabov and Patrik Indra added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Czechia, which will now face Poland in a high-stakes bronze-medal duel.