Italy's U22 national team suffered a 0:3 (22:25, 21:25, 11:25) defeat to Tunisia's men's national team in the second friendly match between the two teams, played in Lamezia Terme. The test was part of the 'Azzurrini' training camp in Camigliatello Silano, which concludes today. We remind you that Tunisia is led by former Bulgaria coach Camillo Placi.
The news is also of interest to Bulgarian fans, as Italy is among Bulgaria's opponents in the group stage of the 2026 Men's U22 European Championship in Portugal. The group also includes the teams of France and Czechia.
The Italian squad, led by technical director and head coach Vincenzo Fanizza, managed to challenge the more experienced Tunisian team in the first two sets, but collapsed in the third part and scored only 11 points.
The most effective player in the match was the Tunisian Hamza Hfaied with 15 points.
A few days earlier, on June 17, the young Italians won the first friendly against the same opponent with a score of 3:1.
Italy's preparation is focused on the U22 European Championship in Albufeira (Portugal), which will take place from June 29 to July 4.
Match Statistics
| Team | Aces | Service Errors | Blocks | Unforced Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy U22 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 36 |
| Tunisia | 8 | 19 | 5 | 25 |
Italy significantly declined in execution efficiency. Although they had an advantage in blocks (6 against 5), the Italians committed a total of 36 unforced errors compared to 25 for Tunisia. The North Africans were also more dangerous from the serve with 8 aces against 3 for the hosts, which seriously impacted the match's development.
Italy Scorers
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Frascio | 10 |
| Zlatanov | 7 |
| Mati | 7 |
| Sandu | 1 |
| Costa | 1 |
Frascio, who is Jasmin Velichkov's teammate at Monza, was Italy's top scorer with 10 points. Manuel Zlatanov's performance, finishing with 7 points, also drew interest. However, the Italian team failed to find consistency in attack, especially in the third set, when they scored only 11 points.
Tunisia's Scorers
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Hamza Hfaiedh | 15 |
| Ben Youssef | 9 |
| Mbarki | 5 |
| Kadhi | 4 |
| Ben Slimen | 2 |
| Karamosli | 1 |
Hfaiedh was the main factor in Tunisia's success with 15 points. He received good support from Ben Youssef, who added another 9 points. It was the higher scoring efficiency of the leading attackers and the fewer number of errors that tipped the scales in favor of the African team.
photo:federvolley.it
