Italy coach Gianlorenzo Blengini: I must say I am very satisfied with the result. Obviously, the result is the thing that makes us happiest, but the game was very even. Service made the difference in the match. We made some mistakes so we needed to serve well, especially when you play against a team like Brazil. I always tell my players it’s important to know when to serve hard and when not to, but consistency is also important. In the tie-break, we took a risk with our serve but it paid off and we won.
Every match is different for us. Today wasn’t an Olympic final but it’s always a pleasure to play top teams like Brazil. It gives a shot of adrenaline, stimulation and the will to compete with such teams. We are here to fight and to make progress and play against the best teams in the world, so I told my players to fight in every situation, whether the game is going good or bad. We have to make things difficult for our opponents and we did that today. We didn’t do it yesterday even though we took two sets.
Italy captain Simone Buti: We really wanted to have a great match today after the disappointing match yesterday. It’s always difficult against Brazil and apart from the first set, it was a very even match. Every set went down to the wire and I was glad we could take the tie-break. Comparing the game to yesterday, the major difference was better service. Service is very important and these two matches have shown that. Yesterday, we couldn’t serve well while Iran were constantly getting good serves in. Today, the service was crucial and we were able to get good serves in on the most important points, which led to our win. Now we can go to Osaka with high hopes.
Italy player Simone Giannelli: I’m very happy about today’s result. We played against a great team, which are very hard to beat and have some great players. I’m happy to win this match and I was happy we were able to have fun on court today. Losing yesterday was very disappointing so it was important to get back on track. We still have three very difficult games to come so I hope we can do well in Osaka.
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Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesBrazil coach Renan Dal Zotto: I think today’s game was very equal; it was a see-saw game. But I think they deserved to win. Italy’s service was particularly hard to deal with, but also they played patiently at the crucial moments. I think the game could have gone either way and I think both teams remain as contenders for the title.
Brazil captain Bruno Rezende: Congratulations to Italy for their win. I think their strategy was clear: To serve well and hope to disrupt our reception, and it succeeded. Service was the decisive factor today and Italy gave us a tough time. Our defence was off and it was difficult for the setter to set well. Our reception was not good and they were able to score with aces. But in this competition in 2013, we also lost to them and went on to win the title, so we’re not giving up. We have three games to come and we hope to win three more.