Velasco's Italy stuns Poland 3-0 and reaches the Nations League final.

Julio Velasco 's Italy is in the final. On Sunday evening (8 p.m.), the Azzurre will play the winner of Brazil-Japan to win their second consecutive Nations League title, adding their third trophy in a year after the first VNL in Bangkok and the Olympic gold medal in Paris, which cemented their No. 1 ranking. Egonu and her teammates, with a starting lineup very similar to the one in Paris, crushed hosts Poland 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-14) in a packed, red-and-white arena in Lodz. But the match was uneven from the start, adding another victory to a record streak that reached 27 consecutive victories in the quarterfinals against the USA : it now stands at 28. Velasco, this time, demonstrated great satisfaction, leaving behind the doubts over her mistakes against the United States. Egonu was not very effective in the first set, but once she got going she scored 17 points in total, including a block and an ace, making the coach celebrate on several occasions.

Velasco's applause

The first set, which ended 25-18, successfully involved Alice Degradi (5 points) and Fahr, with two blocks out of a total of five for a team that consistently relies on Anna Danesi as a key player. While waiting for Egonu, her teammates didn't give the Polish team much, but in the second set, Paola was back in action: among many spectacular plays, the extended run to 12-6 was spectacular, which, after a series of providential saves, allowed the opposite hitter to unleash a powerful, curved, and extremely difficult diagonal shot. Egonu ended up with eight points, but also three each for Degradi, Danesi (two blocks and an ace), Sylla, and Fahr.

Degradation is always dangerous

The Italians weren't satisfied, inflicting their heaviest deficit right at the end: 25-16, with Antropova (3 points) on the court in the substitution with Egonu (6 with an ace and a block), Degradi always dangerous (5 points), and veterans Danesi and Sylla, pillars of a team that wins even when it plays poorly, let alone when it is as brilliant as in the semifinal against Poland. In a silent arena.