The Italian men's national team suffered its second loss in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL 2025), after losing to Brazil 2:3 (22:25, 25:21, 31:33, 25:17, 13:15) in an epic clash played in the "Now Arena" in Chicago. The "Squadra Azzurra" missed an excellent opportunity to take control of the match, failing to convert three set points in the third set with the score tied at 1:1. Thus, instead of taking a 2:1 lead, Giannelli and his teammates allowed Brazil to gain an advantage, which proved decisive against such a high-class opponent.
Head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi started with the following lineup: Giannelli – Romano, Lavia – Michieletto, Gargiulo – Galassi, libero Balaso. Subsequently, Porro, Laurenzano, Cortesia, and reserve setter Sbertoli also appeared on the court.

Romano was the top scorer for Italy with 23 points, while Michieletto and Lavia added 18 and 17 respectively. Middle blockers Gargiulo and Galassi had their strong moments but failed to maintain the advantage in crucial moments.
Italy will play its last match of the American week on June 29 at 7:30 PM local time (3:30 AM Bulgarian time on June 30) against host USA.

photo:volleyballworld.com