Italy – Germany
Both Italy and Germany started with a 1:1 record in their duel, ready to pursue Pool II leaders Russia and Poland in the run for a prestigious semifinal spot. Italy experienced the better start into the match, showing remarkable block-defense work and with Perinelli and Miriam Sylla on fire. Perinelli brought up set point with a blistering winner from the right, before a German mistake ended the first period in Italy’s favor (25-19). The story of the match didn’t change in the second set as the dynamic Italian ladies put a lot of pressure on the German passers. Germany’s setter Magdalena Gryka was often forced to slow down her game, giving their opponents many opportunities for a successful block-defense play. The “squadra azzurra” never looked back in set No. 2 (25-16). Although the team of head coach Han Abbing came back bravely in the third set (25-18), it was not enough to stop the Italian express tonight. Germany saved four match points, but after 99 minutes of playing time, Italy pulled through (25-21).
Italia head coach Marco Mencarelli: “Both teams felt a lot of pressure today. We tried to prepare well to control Germany. It worked sometimes, but not always. When our passing worked well, we were able to show a solid performance at the net.”
Italia captain Cristina Chirichella: “We showed a great will to win this game tonight. We were powerful and played with determination. That’s what we needed to win versus a strong German team.”
Germany coach Han Abbing: “We made it too easy for Italy tonight. We missed some power and speed at the net.”
Germany captain Magdalena Gryka: “We were not able to show our best performance tonight. Although we showed great fighting spirit, on a sportive level we couldn’t find the appropriate solutions.”
