Italy and ROC with opening wins, Poland and France suffer defeats on Day 1 of Tokyo 2020
Recap
The long wait is finally over. The Games of the XXXII Olympiad were inaugurated with the Opening Ceremony on Friday night at the National Stadium in Tokyo and only a few hours later, on Saturday, the men's Volleyball teams entered the court at the majestic Ariake Arena to inaugurate the quest for Olympic glory. The European teams were involved in four fixtures against teams representing other continents, however they performed with contrasting fortunes on the opening day - Italy and ROC [Russian Olympic Committee] emerged victorious in battles against Canada and Argentina, respectively, whereas Poland and France suffered serious defeats - Vital Heynen's squad sensationally lost to Iran in a dramatic five-setter and 'Les Bleus' were not able to find a way to stop the powerful USA team.
Italy vs Canada 3-2 (26-28, 18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-11)
Italy and Canada had the privilege of playing the opening game in the men's Olympic tournament and they made it a thrilling five-setter in Pool A. The 'Azzurri' came back from two sets down to edge Canada in 137 min. Already the first set, which ended 26-28, foreshadowed that it would be a nail-biting battle. Even though in the first two sets Italy struggled with their serve, in the next three it was their key element (7 aces), along with the block (10 winning blocks to 5 on the side of Canada). The 19-year-old Alessandro Michieletto, who showed no fear in his Olympic debut, became the Italian hero and the best scorer of the match with 24 points (18 kills, 3 blocks, 3 aces and 66% of success in attack). The Italian firepower was a good blend of youth and experience, as Osmany Juantorena was the second Italian power gun with 21 points.
Alessandro Michieletto“We didn’t serve well in the first two sets, but eventually we were able to fix that, and it became easier for us to play in the succeeding sets. All matches will be tough at the Olympic Games, but I can assure that we are ready to fight.”
player of Italy
ROC vs Argentina 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21)
Also, the ROC's team struggled at the beginning of the game against their first rival in Pool B - Argentina. The team under the guidance of Tuomas Sammelvuo lost the first part and put up a hell of a fight in the second set to eventually win it and it was a breakpoint. They kept momentum and closed the game in four sets, having the towering block as their main weapon (13 stuffs). Maxim Mikhaylov, who had the honour to perform as a flag bearer during the Opening Ceremony, was the ROC's best scorer with 17 points.
Poland vs Iran 2-3 (25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 25-22, 21-23)
The two-time reigning world champions, Poland, didn't start their Olympic campaign on the right foot, suffering a sensational defeat from Iran in five sets. Playing without captain Michał Kubiak, but with the rest of their stars headed by Wilfredo Leon, they struggled to find the right rhythm. Although Poland won the opening set, Iran improved their game consequently taking advantage of Polish problems in reception and service. Having their back against the wall, Vital Heynen's squad won the fourth part making some progress in their game. But as we all know the tie-break has its own rules. It was a passionate point-by-point race, Poland managed to deny as many as six match points, but also didn't use their two chances, while Vladimir Alekno's team, after 154 minutes of play, didn't waste their 7th opportunity to close the game! It was a cold shower for the White-and-Reds, and they need to quickly recover after this defeat. Wilfredo Leon and Bartosz Kurek were top scorers of Poland contributing with 23 and 20 points, respectively.
Aleksander Śliwka"It was a very close match, but unsuccessful for us. We are not going to hang our heads. We know it will be hard. The Games are never an easy tournament, there are difficult moments and we have to overcome them. We are such a strong group that we will play better."
player of Poland
USA vs France 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-22)
In the last game of Day 1, France was not able to find a way to stop the Rio 2016 bronze medallists, who completely controlled the situation on the court from the very beginning. Laurent Tillie's team started every set being a few points behind and couldn't withstand the power of the US attack, in this skill the team from North America won 50 to 33! Earvin Ngapeth was France's best scorer with 9 points (but only 18.75% of success in attack) - six less than Taylor Sander of USA. France, like Poland, needs to regroup their forces to be ready for the next encounter in Pool B.
In other games of Day 1, hosts Japan defeated Venezuela in three sets in Pool A, and Brazil romped to a straight-set victory over Tunisia in Pool B.