Quarterfinal spots secured: Italy and Belgium advance with 3-0 victories

The Round of 16 at the Men’s World Championship in the Philippines continued on Sunday in Pasay City with two European teams advancing. Belgium had little trouble against Finland, claiming a straight-set victory to move on, while Italy proved too strong for Argentina, winning 3-0 to book their place in the quarterfinals.

The first set was tight. Argentina pulled ahead by three points on a few occasions, but Italy came back each time and managed to close it 25-23.

Italy stayed in control for most of the second set, keeping a steady lead before doubling their advantage 25-20. Both the first and second sets were finished with powerful attacks from captain and setter Simone Giannelli, who guided his team at important moments.

Argentina did not give up and stayed level with Italy up to 20-20 in the third set. Then, opposite Yuri Romanò stepped up with three aces in a row, giving Italy a match point. A few rallies later, outside hitter Mattia Bottolo ended it with a clever block-out to seal a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-20, 25-22).

Alessandro Michieletto led Italy with 15 points, while Luciano Vicentin also scored 15 for Argentina, but his effort was not enough to keep his team in the competition.

With this result, Italy advances to the quarterfinals, while Argentina’s tournament comes to an end despite their spirited fight.

The second match of the day started with Belgians staying in front for most of the first set and closed it 25-21. They controlled the second even more clearly, pulling away early to win 25-17. Finland tried to keep pace in the third and stayed close in the score, but Belgium once again pushed through at the finish to take it 25-21 and complete a 3-0 win.

Ferre Reggers was the top scorer of the match with 20 points, while Sam Deroo followed with 19 as Belgium’s attack proved too much for Finland. On the other side, Joonas Jokela led Finland with 14 points, but it was not enough to change the outcome.

The match statistics show how close some areas were. Belgium had 51 digs to Finland’s 49, while Finland led in reception with 64 against Belgium’s 49. Despite that, Belgium were sharper when it came to turning their chances into points.

With this victory, Belgium advances to the quarterfinals, while Finland exits the competition after failing to break through the Belgian defense.

With these results, Italy continues its push to defend its title after a solid win against Argentina, while Belgium carries momentum from its sweep of Finland. The two sides will now face each other in the quarterfinals, with a place in the semifinals on the line. This will be a remake of their matchup in the group stage where Belgium produced a rather surprising 3-2 win over the defending champions.