Italy misses out on Olympic Bronze Medal in Paris
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After losing out on a place in the Final following their defeat against France just 48h before, Italy misses out yet again, this time on Olympic Bronze after being defeated by the USA in straight sets (0-3; 23-25, 28-30, 24-26).
After tough semis, both teams looked to be willing and able to rise to the occasion of an Olympic medal match, but it was the Americans that managed to push themselves just a bit more to claim a spot on the podium, their sixth Olympic medal.
Despite the defeat in straight sets, Italy kept close to their opponents throughout the match, as the score per set suggests, narrowly losing each of them. Reigning World Champions and European Finalists, Italy are unfortunately out of a medal place for a second edition in a row, which for a volleyball nation of their caliber is less than what they were expecting of themselves.
Individually, Yuri Romano and Alessandro Michieletto continued their fine form, scoring 17 points a piece, highest tally in the match.
Yuri Romano for Volleyball World"I thought we played really well today. The USA are a great team and we knew we couldn't let them build a big lead and we managed to stay close in each set, but unfortunately they were better than us in the final points. Being fourth is the worst feeling in sports. We were motivated to win bronze because we knew it was important. We did a good job of putting that semifinal loss behind us and focusing on today, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to win."