France is the third semi-finalist in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League. The reigning Olympic champion defeated Italy 3-2 in sets in the Polish city of Łódź. As it became clear, the "Squadra Azzurra," which is the current world champion, arrived in Poland with its younger and less experienced players. However, the young Italians showed that they deservedly received the great opportunity given by Ferdinando De Giorgi to play in some of the most important matches of the year. It is not excluded that some of them might even make it into the Olympic squad for Paris. Unfortunately, their experience prevented them from winning their match against the "Roosters."

Italy's dominance in the first set led to them winning it with a comfortable score of 25:19. In the second set, the "Roosters" started to "crow," thus reminding everyone of themselves after a shaky first part. France leveled the sets after 25:20. The third set was again strong for Italy, as the young "Azzurri" closed the set and took a 2-1 lead after 25:22. In the fourth set, the game was more than even, and experience in such tough matches helped the "Roosters" equalize the score at 2-2 sets after 25:22, thus sending the great match into a tie-break. The French won the fifth set 15:11 after several comebacks in the set – thus the "Roosters" qualified for the semi-finals after a 3-2 set victory.

France's opponent in the semi-final match will be the host of the Final Eight, Poland. The match between the "Roosters" and "Druzyna Polska" will be played tomorrow, June 29, at 7 PM, and will be broadcast live on Max Sport channels.