Italy can’t allow to lose opportunities, warns coach Mencarelli

Rosario, Argentina, August 26, 2017 - Despite they ended up the match as the winning side, Italy could have close the game against Turkey in the third set, but they failed to seize several match balls and coach Marco Mencarelli stressed they cannot repeat that situation. 

Marco Mencarelli, Italy coach: “We had match points in the third set and we didn't take them; if we want to be a strong team mentally speaking, that is something we can't allow. We played against a very strong team as Turkey; in the fourth set we made lots of mistakes but in the end we had that sequence with one of our more constant servers, which allowed us to go for it and close the game. Now we need to stay calm and retake our routine: recover our energies, get some rest, and study our next opponent.”

Marina Lubian, Italy player: “The confidence we have in each other, the team spirit and the hunger for glory are what pushed us forward today. It was a very difficult game against a great opponent who deserved to be at this match, the same way we deserved it. But we have done nothing yet, we must keep looking forward with our heads high. We have to leave this adrenaline aside and get some rest for a very demanding day.”

Sahin Catma, Turkey coach: “Of course, we are really sad, because it was an important game for us. It was the chance to be in the final, but we couldn’t resolve the game and that’s why we’re sad. Italy didn’t win because they are better than us, they won because we did a lot of simple mistakes. At the fourth set we started to receive and serve better, but with that amount of mistakes you lose the game.”