Italy extended their perfect record at EuroVolley 2026 with a hard-fought 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-20) victory over the Czech Republic at a sold-out PalaPanini in Modena on Tuesday night.
The hosts, defending world champions and tournament favourites, were given an early scare when Czech Republic took the opening set. Patrik Indra was virtually unstoppable for the visitors, scoring seven points at an extraordinary 88% success rate to help the Czechs build a lead Italy could not recover from, despite saving two set points.
Italy's response was emphatic. Pushing hard from the service line, particularly through Yuri Romanò and Giovanni Sanguinetti, the Azzurri stormed to a 9-2 lead in the second set and never looked back, levelling the match at 25-16.
Romanò was the standout performer, finishing with a match-high 24 points including five aces and two blocks. Mattia Bottolo was equally impressive with 22 points and four aces, while Daniele Lavia contributed 15.
The third set proved the turning point. Italy opened an 11-5 lead, but Czech Republic fought back to 14-13 before Bottolo delivered two consecutive aces to restore a four-point cushion. Romanò then served the final ace as Italy took the set 25-20.
The fourth set remained tight until 20-19, when Simone Giannelli's serve sparked a decisive five-point run. Bottolo delivered the final blow to complete Italy's fourth consecutive victory in Pool A.
"We had to care more about our level of volleyball because you can suffer against anyone now," Bottolo said after the match. "The Italian crowd pushed our team from the national anthem through every situation. It's wonderful to play EuroVolley in our home country."
Italy top Pool A with a maximum 12 points from four matches. Czech Republic, previously unbeaten, drop to second with eight points. Italy face Slovenia on Thursday in their final pool match.
Sources
- https://www.legavolley.it/2026/litalia-mette-la-quarta-cechia-superata-in-rimonta-3-1/
- https://sport.sky.it/volley/2026/09/15/italia-cechia-europei-volley-risultato-set
- https://volleyweek.bg/en/article/26914-EuroVolley-2026-France-won-Group-D-Poland-defeated-Ukraine-Italy-and-Finland-continue-undefeated
