Men's World Championship 2025

Italy in destruction mode, knock out Belgium on way to semis

They will take on Poland or Turkiye on Saturday for a spot in the final

Published 09:45, 24 Sept 2025

Italy (ITA) vs. Belgium (BEL) men - Quarter-finals #60680208

Defending champions Italy booked the first semifinal spot at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. In the first quarterfinal of the tournament in Pasay City on Wednesday, they dismantled Belgium in emphatic straight sets. Italy will take on the winner of the next quarterfinal between Poland and Turkiye, serving off later on Wednesday, at 20:00 local time (12:00 UTC).

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Hurt by the loss they suffered at the hands of Belgium in the pool stage, the Italians were in destruction mode as the first set of their quarterfinal unfolded. Showing no mercy for the opponents, they put on a one-sided show that ended with a landslide margin on middle Roberto Russo’s kill block for the set winner. Things slightly improved for the western Europeans in set two, but it was still a one-sided affair on the court. The southern Europeans stayed well in control until Russo delivered another set winner with a successful block. In set three, Belgium held up through 10-10 and that was when Italy broke away again and cruised on to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-18) shutout. And it was Russo again to bring closure, this time with a blistering ace from the serving line.

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Belgium’s unforced errors, 26 against only 10 from Italy, made the biggest difference in the match, but not only. The world champions also outserved their opponents by 8-1 in aces and outblocked them by 6-1 in stuffs. With four kill blocks, two aces and a 75% success rate in attack, Russo was certainly the man of the match. He spearheaded Italy with a team-high 12 points. Outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto fired four aces towards an 11-point tally. His cross-court teammate Mattia Bottolo chipped in with another 10 points, all in swings.

“I am really happy, because the tournament is very difficult and we won over Belgium, a great and powerful team to whom we lost in the pool. But today was another match and I am really happy for this win,” Russo told VBTV. “Our ambitions are to go far in this tournament and I hope that we will play against Poland or Turkiye in the semifinal like we did today.”

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Belgium outscored Italy in attack, by 37-35 in spike kills, while their 22-year-old opposite Ferre Reggers was the best scorer of the match with 13 points, all in offense. Outside hitter and captain Sam Deroo added another 11 points, including one ace.

“It’s sad to say, but we didn’t get off to our best start and if you let a team like Italy play freely, it’s almost impossible. You can analyze anything you want before the game, but if you are five-six points ahead in every set, you can take options for everyone. Giannelli had his reception there on his head and he could do whatever he wanted. We tried, we didn’t give up and that’s the only thing I can say about our team. But our level was far from sufficient to put them in difficulty today,” commented Deroo. “We had a good run. It’s sad to finish it like this, of course. We wanted to bring more of a battle, so it leaves a sour feeling in our mouths to leave the World Championship like this, but in a couple of weeks, we’ll be pretty proud of the run we had. That’s definitely oxygen for the future.”