The volleyball world witnessed a tense moment during the match between the women's national teams of Italy and China. Italian star Paola Egonu received a yellow card after a verbal exchange with Chinese player Dong Yuhan. Volleytrails highlighted this story on their X profile.

It all started after Egonu was blocked by Dong and fell to the floor. After the incident, the Italian turned to her opponent, saying her feet were too close to the center line and advised her to be more careful. According to Egonu, this could have led to an injury for both players.

Her reaction, however, was not well-received by the referee Szabo Alexi Paul Catalin (Romania), who showed her a yellow card for aggressive behavior. After the match, Egonu used social media to explain her position.

"All I wanted was to tell the player to be careful because she stepped into my court and that can be dangerous for both of us!
You can think I'm rude, even though I wanted to help - that's how her teammate got injured!
I don't care that I was blocked - this is volleyball!"Egonu wrote on Instagram Stories.

Reactions on social media were swift - some fans supported Egonu for her frankness, while others considered her behavior excessive.

One fact, however, remains undisputed - passions run high in big matches, and player safety must be a priority.

photos: X