In a dramatic World Championship clash, Argentina stunned Olympic champions France in a five-set thriller, sealing their spot in the Round of 16 and sending Les Bleus home in the group stage.
The Argentinians, led by top scorer Luciano Vicentin with 22 points, celebrated passionately after their victory. However, French head coach Andrea Giani made headlines for an unusual post-match gesture. According to some Argentine journalists and blogers, Giani approached Marcelo Méndez’s team and asked them to tone down their celebrations out of respect for his players, some of whom had just played their final match in the national jersey.
Argentine captain Luciano De Cecco later addressed the moment for the media.
“Honestly, I think he thought we were celebrating against them, but in reality we celebrate the same way in every match. He possibly took it as an ‘attack’ toward them. We told him politely that no, we celebrated like this when we beat Poland, and we celebrate like this in every match we’re lucky enough to win. We never celebrate at the other team—it was a celebration for ourselves. He interpreted it in his own way, we explained it to him, and that was it. He left in a good way, so nothing happened.”
Fransa koçu Giani röp sonrası kutlama yapan Arjantililerden ricada bulundu ve kutlamalar sona erdi
— Vsever 2.0 🏐 (@Temmzvolley) September 18, 2025
Röpte Fransa'da bazı isimlerin milli takım formasıyla son maçına çıktığı söyledipic.twitter.com/EzfZWqHaIL
France’s campaign had already been shaky after a surprising loss to Finland. Against Argentina, they fought back from two sets down to force a tie-break but ultimately fell short.
Social media quickly lit up with debate over Giani’s request. Some saw it as a call for sportsmanship in the face of defeat, while others criticized it as unsporting—especially since cameras had earlier caught France attempting gamesmanship tactics during the match.
For Argentina, the victory was nothing short of euphoric. For France, it marked the end of an era.
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TODO ACLARADO 🇦🇷🤝🇫🇷
— DSPORTS (@DSports) September 18, 2025
🗣 Luciano De Cecco habló sobre el intercambio entre Andrea Giani, técnico de Francia, y los jugadores argentinos en el festejo luego de la victoria en el #MundialDeVóleyEnDSPORTS masculino.
🎙 @DonDerrouse
–@zurdodarraidou #VóleyEnDSPORTS pic.twitter.com/R1qWhKONiw
