Bulgarian international Georgi Tatarov contributed 6 points to Allianz Milano's first victory of the new season in the Italian SuperLega. Guillermo Falasca's team defeated Cuneo 3:2 (25:21, 25:27, 25:20, 20:25, 19:17) in a second-round match that ended with a dramatic tie-break and a winning ace.
Tatarov participated in the first three sets and scored 4 points in attack and 2 on block. This is a significantly better performance for the Bulgarian receiver compared to the first round, when he recorded only one point in the 0:3 defeat against Cisterna.
The hosts started the match successfully in the "Allianz Cloud" hall and took the first set with 25:21. Cuneo responded in a contested second part, which they won 27:25, but Milano again took the lead after 25:20 in the third set.
However, the guests did not give up and with 25:20 in the fourth set sent the match to a tie-break. The decisive set offered exceptional intrigue, with both teams continuing the battle even after the mandatory 15 points. In the end, Milano snatched the victory with 19:17, after the last rally ended with a direct point from a serve.
Japanese international Tatsunori Otsuka scored 18 points for the winners, of which 13 in attack and 5 on block.

With his two successful blocks, Tatarov also contributed to the hosts' performance at the net.
For Cuneo, Ethan Champlin and Lorenzo Codarin finished with 10 points each. Codarin made 3 blocks and one ace, while Leandro Mosca added 6 points.
This is Cuneo's second consecutive loss after a tie-break. In the first round, the elite newcomer lost to champions Perugia 2:3, with the decisive set ending 23:25. Thus, in just two matches, Matteo Battocchio's volleyball players played two tie-breaks with a total of 42 points for the winners and 40 for the losers.
The victory brought Milano their first two points in the standings, while Cuneo already has two assets from their two defeats.
In the next round on November 1, Milano will play at home again, this time against Padua, while Cuneo will host Lube Civitanova with the Nikolov brothers.

photos:legavolley.it