Simone Giannelli had a tough time. © Federvolley / Social Media / Enzo Pinelli

World Cup disappointment: Italy loses to underdogs

Simone Giannelli and the Italian national volleyball team suffered a disappointment on Tuesday at the World Championship in Manila, Philippines. Belgium prevailed in a nerve-wracking match.

September 16, 2025

From: leo

After their decisive opening victory against Algeria, the Azzurri suffered their first setback of the title fight. Belgium secured a surprise 3-2 victory (25-23, 25.20-22, 25-21, 25-15, 13-15.30). Despite the defeat, Italy still has everything in its own hands. Giannelli and his team will face underdogs Ukraine at the end of the group stage. A win would see the Azzurri advance to the round of XNUMX. The match begins on Thursday at XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. (CEST).

Ferdinando De Giorgi's team struggled to find their desired rhythm from the start. Belgium, which had defeated Ukraine 3-0 in the opening match, relied on its 22-year-old star player, Ferre Reggers, and narrowly won the first set. At the start of the second set, Giannelli and his team seemed to have found the right formula, as they sped off to a 9-5 lead. However, carelessness, individual errors, and considerable difficulty in attacking led Belgium—led by the outstanding Reggers—to turn the deficit into a lead and also win the second set.

Reggers is unstoppable

Because coach De Giorgi didn't see the turnaround he'd hoped for in the third period, he decided to replace Giannelli with Riccardo Sbertoli. The setter for Italian champions Trento immediately put his stamp on the game. Alessandro Michieletto and Kamil Rychlicki, who won the Scudetto with Sbertoli last year, benefited from this substitution. Although not everything went as planned, the Azzurri now had significantly better access to Reggers and were more effective in their attacks. The result: Italy forced a tiebreak.

Simone Giannelli and her teammates believed in a comeback. © Federvolley / Social Media

Belgium got off to a better start and defended an early lead until Belgium's Seppe Rotty fired an attack out of bounds, leveling the score at 8-8. Both teams showed nerves, as countless serves flew into the net – including Giannelli's when the Bozen native was substituted at 12-12. Belgium subsequently earned a match point, which Reggers converted – his 31st point of the match.