Manama, Bahrain, July 18, 2019 – Italy took a straight-sets win (25-17, 25-17, 25-15) against Canada on Thursday evening in Pool D of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship.
Italy coach Monica Cresta: “The match was difficult at the beginning. We have seen them (Canada) play in the PanAm Games but we haven’t really known them to play this way. They have improved so much, and they have several players who are quite strong. We were a little bit nervous, like in any debut match.”
Italy captain Francesco Recine: “We played aggressively today. We felt we played stronger in this match, giving our all in attack and defence.
Canada coach Joao Paulo Bravo: “The serve pressure from Italy put us in so much trouble. We weren't able to handle the pressure from their serve, aside from the fact that our serve was not so efficient against them.”
Canada captain Mathias Elser: “I think we gave them too many free points and they were putting the pressure on us.
“In a tournament like this where we have such great teams, as the captain, I try to bring a sense of calm, making sure that everybody’s in the right headspace to be able to do their best.”