Simone Giann © APA/afp / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

“They were simply better”: Giannelli pays respect to France

Simone Giannelli will have to wait a little longer for his first Olympic gold: The 27-year-old lost the semi-final against France with Italy on Wednesday and can now "only" hope for bronze. After the game, the Bolzano native showed himself to be a fair sportsman as usual.

August 08, 2024

From: leo

Although Italy revealed weaknesses in the quarter-finals after their splendid performances in the group stage against Japan, Ferdinando De Giorgi's team went into the semi-finals against the hosts as favourites. In view of this, the 0-3 final score came as a complete surprise to many. The Azzurri never found their way into the game, while the home side were carried by their own fans and delivered a flawless performance that was rewarded with a place in the final. There, the Grande Nation will face European champions Poland on Saturday.

"France simply played better. They were superior in every respect," said Giannelli after the match. That has to be accepted. "It is not the result we were hoping for, but it is the result we deserved. Of course we regret the result, but we are not disappointed because we tried everything on the field. We had a few chances in the second set that we were unable to take advantage of. That is sport, that is volleyball. You don't always get what you want," analyzed the captain.

France was a size too big. © ANSA / NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA

But the tournament is not over for Italy yet, as they will face the USA in the small final on Friday. "We have to keep our heads up because there is a bronze medal up for grabs."

For the South Tyrolean, it would be the second medal at the Olympics after he won silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Like Italy, the USA won all of their group matches, but lost to Poland in the semifinals in a five-set thriller. Giannelli & Co. won the last duel in the Nations League, which was scheduled for the beginning of June, 3-0.