Reigning champion Italy needed to shrug off a sluggish Set 2 to finish a 25-13, 25-22, 25-17 victory over gritty Algeria within the 2025 FIVB Males’s Volleyball World Championship on Sunday on the Sensible Araneta Coliseum.
The Italians discovered themselves down by as a lot as 4 factors within the second set with Algeria leaning on workforce captain Soufiane Hosni, whose highly effective spike despatched the world no. 87 African squad to a much-needed 21-17 cushion.
World no. 2 Italy, nevertheless, refused to let Algeria take the body as center blocker Roberto Russo scored three straight factors earlier than conniving with Alessandro Michieletto to reject a Boudjemaa Ikken assault, forcing a 21-all impasse.
The lefty Michieletto then completed the Set 2 comeback, serving two aces as a part of a 4-1 selecting run that allowed Italy to maneuver a set away from a sweep victory.
Italy then made certain to not repeat the identical mistake come Set 3, constructing a 21-13 lead off a Yuri Romano assault earlier than a service error from Algeria noticed the reigning champions take a 24-17 cushion.
The Italians then accomplished the straight-sets victory after Algeria dedicated one other error.
The 23-year-old Michieletto, who was a key cog throughout their 2022 championship run, led the present with 15 factors anchored on 9 assaults, 4 aces, and two blocks whereas younger gun Mattia Bottolo chipped in 13 markers.
Sidi Dour led with 11 factors and Ikken chipped in 10 markers as Algeria marked its return to the World Championship for the primary time since 1998.
—JKC, GMA Built-in Information
