Fukuoka, Japan, October 5, 2019 – Gabriele Nelli notched a match-high 21 points as Italy beat Tunisia 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-18) at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup on Saturday.
Italy coach Gianlorenzo Blengini: "I’m happy for the result. It was a difficult match. We had good focus and attitude. We had a problem in the first set with our side-out. We had good blocking and defending from the beginning. We wanted to win the match. We had good focus all around.
"Our physical and technical condition is getting better. We only arrived two days before the tournament began. Now we have adjusted. In the match you can’t make mistakes, in practice you can. That is the difference."
Italy captain Matteo Piano: "It was a great match. It is important that we go up in the first part of the tournament. I love volleyball because I have fun. I’m 29 and having as much fun as when I was younger. This win helps to build trust. Good for young team to win and have fun. We must trust each other to fight against strong teams."
Tunisia coach Antonio Giaccobe: "We did not play bad today. The team reacted to Italy in a good way. The gap today was individual. We only had one player who could score."
Tunisia captain Hosni Kara: "We played better today, but the result was not a win. We showed our own play. Italy is a strong team. We hope to play better. Our attacking and blocking balance was good. We would like to show that more."
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