Italian "Cisterna" recorded a dramatic 3:2 (25:20, 18:25, 25:21, 16:25, 15:11) victory over the combined team "Cuneo-Grottazzolina" in a Group B match of the international NAS Sports Tournament in Dubai. The match became one of the most contested in the competition, with the winner decided only in the tie-break.
The encounter offered constant twists and turns. "Cisterna" took the lead after a strong first set, but their opponent quickly equalized. The two teams exchanged another set each, leading to a decisive fifth set, where the "Cisterna" team showed greater stability and closed the match with a 15:11 score.
In the decisive moments, opposite hitter Tommaso Barotto and Turkish outside hitter Efe Bayram played a key role, scoring important points with attack, serve, and block. For "Cuneo-Grottazzolina," opposite hitter Lorenzo Sala made two attack errors, and the experienced Ivan Zaytsev made two receiving errors at crucial moments of the match.
Bulgarian international Iliya Petkov did not participate in the match this time, despite being part of the "Grottazzolina" squad.
Thus, "Cisterna" qualified in second place in Group B and will play a semi-final on Thursday evening at 9:00 PM local time.
The NAS tournament in Dubai traditionally attracts European clubs. Last season, Moscow's "Dynamo" won the trophy after triumphing in the final and leaving a strong mark on the competition.
In the current edition, teams from Italy are once again among the main favorites, and their matches are becoming some of the highest-quality encounters in the tournament's schedule.
Among the participants is also the Belarusian champion "Shakhtyor" (Soligorsk), who plays under the name Fohood Zabeel, as per tournament regulations, all teams represent local sponsors.
The team from Belarus uses the tournament for international practice and matches against strong opponents, which is valuable experience for the squad at the end of the club season.
The tournament semi-finals are scheduled for March 5, and the final will be played on March 7 at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex in Dubai. Italian teams appear to have the greatest chances of reaching the battle for the trophy.
