Italy-Cuba 2-3
Sep: 22-25; 25-21; 25-17; 19-25; 13-15
Italy: Argilagos, Micheletto, Giannelli, Sani, Bottolo, Galassi, Lavia, Romanò, Porro, Sanguinetti, Mati, Rychlicki, Balaso (L), Laurenzano (L1). All. Ferdinando De Giorgi.
Cuba: Massi Alvarez, Gomez Galvez, Thondike Mejías, Días Gómez, Aties, Herrera, Castro, Rodriguez, Mendoza, Velázquez, González Rodríguez, Garcia Álvarez (), Arrechea (L). All. Jesús Cruz Lopez.
Referees: Giovanni Ciaccio from Palermo and Giovanni Giorgianni from Messina.
In a “PalaRescifina” seething with enthusiasm, Italy lost to Cuba in the tie-break in the second match played at the Fipav Cup Men Elite tournament.
De Giorgi entrusts Bryan Argilagosm as director, the latest addition to the collegiate group in Messina after Sbertoli’s problems in the match against Germany. Once the classic countdown has expired, play begins with the Calabrian Gabriele Lavia who puts down the first ball of the match, opening a rather lively first set marked by constant reversals in front but without a real master.
Italy fights hard even when Cuba takes the lead by three points (18-21) and at the end of a great defense finalized by a short ball from Sani in the conflict zone they get the lead at 22 but the final of ser rewards the boys of coach Jesus Lopez who take it home at 22nd 25. Fefe De Giorgi instills serenity in his boys who open the second set with even greater attention, also and in fact they are always ahead even touching the +4 with Bottolo (14-10) and then the maximum advantage of 18 to 12 with a block that seems to have taken the measure of the opponents’ plays.
Not even the benches seem to lend a hand to the Caribbean coach and the gap is widening (21-12 after a block by Mati). Porro finishes second of the four set points available (25-21).
Cuba regains strength at the start of the third (1-4) but Romanò and his teammates place a counter-break of three points in a row taking advantage of the good service of their opposite (4-4) but also an offensive game that is finding intensity again. He goes on to lead by a couple of points (a nice block from Sanguinetti which is worth 8a 6) and then takes flight in the central phase (18-11 and guest time out) of a set that takes a very specific direction. Sanguinetti’s attack in the first half was worth nine opportunities to close the set (24-15). But the third is the good one and it’s 25 to 17.
The fourth set follows the previous one in the initial phase with the Cuban players having a more decisive impact (4-7) and then goes to +4 in the 5th 9 after Thondike Mejías’ winning shot. There is a monumental monster block by Sanguinetti (12-12). The game continues in fits and starts but this time in the key moment Cuba does not disunite and extends the challenge to the tie break. The last partial is a ball-for-ball battle (3-3 7-7) then coach Jesus Lopez’s national team extends by a couple of points in the central phase (9-11).
Romanò plays the charge and it’s a draw again in a PalaRescifina boiling with passion. But it’s not enough to avoid Cuba’s final blow, repeating Thursday’s success against Germany.