History repeats itself. What has happened in this season’s Champions League so far is truly unexpected. Because no one, at the beginning of the European campaign, would have thought that Italian teams would stand out by reaching a Champions League final.

And destiny is also mocking. Italian teams in Europe are shining, despite the fact that the first matches of the group stages didn’t give much hope. An Inter team that lost immediately on the first matchday against Bayern Munich 2-0, a Juventus team that barely made it to third place after losing 5 out of 6 group stage matches, ending up with the same points as Maccabi Haifa, and a Milan team that started quietly but managed to finish second in their group.

Speaking of the Europa League, Roma finished second in their group behind Betis Sevilla, a team that was definitely beatable, while Lazio failed to get past the group stage against Feyenoord and Midtjylland. Finally, Fiorentina couldn’t top their group in the Conference League against a mediocre Istanbul Basaksehir.

But like in the best action movies, when the situation starts to get interesting, the champions emerge. What no one believed at the start of the European campaign were two things: first, the level of the players in the Italian teams competing in Europe, who seemed, especially in the Champions League, to be of a lower level compared to the other teams, and second, the low regard for the level of Italian football, perhaps thought to be too uncompetitive for European rhythms, showing weaknesses, particularly the lack of new star players. In fact, if you look at the numbers, this year Serie A spent €749.2 million, compared to £2.24 billion in the Premier League, with no purchases appearing in the top 10 most expensive transfers of the season (a list dominated by the Premier League and especially Chelsea, with Real Madrid’s Tchouameni as the only “intruder”).

Moreover, there was little confidence in this season’s signings. First, Milan, which spent a lot on a player who has yet to prove his full worth, Charles De Keteleare. In fact, the team remained the same as the previous season’s winning squad. Inter could again rely on Lukaku, who was injured right from the start, while they had to do without Ivan Perisic. Juventus had strengthened a lot but had lost Paulo Dybala, who went to Mourinho’s Roma. Roma, in fact, seemed to be the only team truly reinforced by the market, but perhaps not enough to compete all the way to the end. Fiorentina had bought Jovic, a player who has so far delivered little, while Lazio had basically remained the same. And finally, Napoli: a completely different team from previous years, with all the flags sent away, in a year when they lost Insigne, Mertens, Koulibaly, and Fabian Ruiz, they managed to have the best market in Europe, although expectations at the beginning of the year were low.

Yet, today, there are 5 Italian teams out of the 7 original participants still in the European semifinals. A fantastic result that rewards the quality of Italian football, certainly in strong development compared to previous years. And the best news is the awareness that at least one Milan team will make it to the final. After 20 years since the last time. Inter-Milan, an eternal rivalry, will make the next 6 days in Milan the hottest in years. From the last semifinal clash between Cuper and Ancelotti, where the Rossoneri came out victorious, many things have changed: first, with the new rules eliminating the away goal, the match would have gone to extra time. Moreover, compared to back then, the main points of contact are Paolo Maldini and Javier Zanetti. The first, now a Rossoneri director, led a defense that, in the three previous meetings before the return semifinal, had never conceded a goal to the Nerazzurri, and a very young Oba Oba Martins was seen running past him from behind, such was the tension of the moment. The second, Javier, had failed to convert a spectacular opportunity in the first leg, in a match where Milan was overtly defensive, as evidenced by President Berlusconi’s outbursts in the locker room at halftime, criticizing Ancelotti for not allowing his players to play more offensively.

Twenty years later, the two teams are no longer even in the same European league, belonging to different groups of foreign countries, but the magic of the Euroderby still seems the same.

Juventus is awaiting their clash with Sevilla, the kings of the cup, while Roma will face Bayer Leverkusen, and the hope of all fans, including former Polish striker Boniek, is for an Italian final, the second in a row for Mourinho’s Roma. Fiorentina will meet Basel, in a challenge that could allow them to reach a magical and historic final for the Viola squad.

The hope is that this moment will continue for a long time, but what all Italian fans can now wish for is at least one Italian team in the final of each European cup (if not four, Juventus or Roma permitting). The rest, as we know, is still to be written.

By Spampinato Antonio

• Milan doesn’t want to stop: now they dream of the final!
• Piacenza tries the comeback again!

Tension is at an all-time high in the 2022/2023 Men’s SuperLega A1 season. In these decisive days and in the coming weeks, we will find out which two teams will make it to the final and compete for the coveted scudetto of the Italian championship.

Last week, an exciting chapter of the Superlega A1 Men’s league came to an end, with the quarterfinals leaving volleyball fans holding their breath until the very last moment. Trento was the first to secure their spot in the next phase, but the real spectacle was provided by Civitanova, Piacenza, and Milan, who fought in an epic series that went to Game 5 to decide the winners.

The reigning champions of Civitanova had to sweat until the end against a young but tenacious Verona, which showed they would never give up. Piacenza also found themselves in a difficult position, down 0-2 in the series against the new CEV CUP champions, Modena, but they also managed an incredible comeback and advanced to the semifinals.

The surprise of this first phase of the Scudetto Playoffs was undoubtedly Milan, which reached a historic semifinal for the club, eliminating Perugia from the Scudetto race. Despite a first half of the season below expectations, Milan had finished only eighth in the regular season, barely making it into the playoffs. However, Milan managed to make a significant leap in their game in the final phase of the regular season and found balance in their team, eventually winning the long and fiercely contested series against Perugia, which ended 3-2 with a 3-1 final victory.

But it seems that Milan has no intention of stopping: in the semifinals, in their series against the reigning champions Cucine Civitanova Lube, Powervolley Milano leads 2-1 after a convincing away win in Game 3. On Saturday, April 22, they will have the first chance to close the series!

Also, on the third day of the semifinal playoffs, Piacenza caught up with Trento, who had been leading 2-0 in the series, with a 3-0 victory. Will the Piacenza team be able to pull off another incredible comeback like they did in the quarterfinals? Milan, now fully aware of their potential, with the opportunity to play Game 4 at home, will they be able to deliver a decisive victory for their fans and reach the final? We just have to wait and see!

By Hu Zhuhao

Italian volleyball has been put to the test in Europe during the quarter-finals of the 2023 Champions League Volleyball: a negative outcome for the Italian teams.

On the men’s side, three Italian teams were competing for a spot in the semi-finals: Perugia, Trento, and Civitanova. There was considerable regret for the Trentino and Marche teams: the two teams had lost 2-3 and 1-3 in the first leg against their opponents, but later showed great courage and spirit in the return leg, winning 3-2 and 3-1 against their opponents, respectively. However, this was not enough: both teams found themselves having to give up their tickets to the semi-finals to their opponents, losing in the golden set (to 15 points). Despite the disappointments and bitterness, hope remains for the Umbrian team of Perugia, which will face the defending champions, the Polish team Zaksa, in the next stage of the competition. The road will be tough, but Perugia has demonstrated that it has the necessary qualities to challenge the best.

As for women’s volleyball, the situation is still open, as the quarter-final phase is not yet over. Currently, three Italian teams are still in the game: Milan, Conegliano, and Novara. However, the first two teams suffered a 0-3 defeat in their respective first-leg matches against Vakifbank and Fenerbahce, both from Istanbul. On the other hand, the Piedmont team of Novara achieved a victory against the German opponents Allianz MTV Stuttgart. The situation is therefore uncertain, and anything can still happen for the Italian teams competing in the 2023 Women’s Champions League Volleyball.

Good and encouraging news, however, comes from the CEV Cup: the Modena men’s team is in the final and will face the Belgian team Knack Roeselaere, which defeated Piacenza in the semi-finals. On the women’s side, the Florence team, Savino del Bene Scandicci, the tournament favorite, won 3-0 in the first leg against the Turkish team THY Istanbul, and they will only need to win two sets in the return leg to reach the final.

by Hu Zhuohao

The news of Saturday, March 18th, saw the triumph of Italian Marvin Vettori in the London octagon, defeating Roman Dolidze by unanimous decision and winning UFC 286.

After the tough defeat suffered against Whittaker in Paris, the Italian Dream has returned different, more rational, and more mature, able to manage his energy and tame his opponent’s attacks, striking at the right moment.

The two fighters already knew each other, as they used to train together before Marvin made the decision, a few months ago, to switch teams, moving to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and leaving behind his previous gym, the famous KingsMMA, where he had built his previous successes.

The match immediately saw Dolidze start landing some non-trivial punches with great focus. Marvin tries to be more aggressive and not suffer throughout the match while looking for his opponent’s exhaustion, but instead takes more risks by attacking head-on. The start of the match doesn’t seem to favor him, but over time, the great tenacity of the Italian emerges, and some of his moves conclude in the best possible way. In the first round, Dolidze seems to have the upper hand and is more eager (even going as far as throwing an illegal headbutt to his opponent’s chin), but in the second round, Marvin comes out stronger, managing the advantage in the third. The match is very technical and tight, but for his consistency, the judges award the victory to Vettori with a 30-27 score.

The Trentino fighter thus achieved his nineteenth career victory in the UFC, the premier MMA promotion worldwide, positioning himself among the top 5 middleweights in the world. And now the hope for the title becomes even stronger.

by Antonio Spampinato

The Superlega team Sir Safety Perugia is experiencing a period of great success, boasting an extraordinary streak of 32 consecutive victories since the start of the season across Superlega, Champions League, Supercoppa, Coppa Italia, and the Club World Championship. This achievement is the result of a combination of talent, hard work, and dedication, which have allowed the team to perform exceptionally on the court.

The roster of the Umbrian team is brimming with big names: 2022 World Championship MVP Simone Giannelli, the Polish stars Wilfredo Leon and Kamil Semeniuk, Ukrainian Oleh Plotnytskyi, and many others. The team has proven to be highly cohesive and well-organized, with players working harmoniously to achieve common goals. Their gameplay has allowed them to overcome formidable opponents and solidify their status as one of the strongest teams not only in the Italian league but also in Europe and worldwide, as demonstrated by their gold medal at the Club World Championship.

The streak of consecutive victories is an exceptional milestone for any team, but for Sir Safety Umbria Perugia, it is just the beginning. With a solid base of talented players and a winning mentality, the team is well-positioned to continue dominating the court and achieving even more success in the future.

The support of fans has been crucial to the team’s journey toward success. Their passion and energy have provided the team with an extra push, contributing to an electrifying atmosphere at every match.

By Hu Zhuhao

In a World Cup that has so far not delivered any major surprises, as almost all the big national teams expected have reached the quarter-finals, one of these teams seems to be the “black sheep.”

The Moroccan national team, in fact, despite unfavourable predictions from the group stage onwards, has managed to capture headlines with great astonishment from all.

In World Cup history, Morocco has participated six times.

In a group with Croatia, Belgium, and Canada, Morocco was expected to finish third, perhaps at best competing briefly with Croatia for the second position, but with Croatia ultimately prevailing. Reality overturned these predictions: Morocco first, Croatia second, Belgium out in the group stage.

Furthermore, in the round of 16, the African team faced Spain, ironically the founder of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco—the portion of Morocco administered by Spain under a protectorate regime from 1912 to 1956, the year of the revolution that led to Morocco’s independence, with Tetuan as the capital. During those years, specifically in 1926, the Spanish Civil War began from Morocco: the Alzamiento of General Francisco Franco on July 17, 1936, took place right in Tetuan. The protectorate ended, also thanks to the intervention of the French protectorate, which was in favour of independence.

Many players on that national team have dual nationality: Bounou, Dari, Sabiri, Boufal, Harit, El-Nesyri, and Hakimi.

This match must have meant something extra to them. And in fact, three of them were crucial to the victory in the penalty shootout against Spain, against the colonial past, for themselves and for their nation. Bounou, a vigilant game over the 120 minutes, faced few risks, also thanks to Spanish mistakes in front of goal, and excelled in the penalty shootout, with two saves, a well-timed dive when Sarabia hit the post, and shutting down any attempt at entry.

Boufal, a player with impressive technique, who, if more consistent, would have had a top-player career, shone at the World Cup: 1-on-1, systematically beating Laporte, then delivering refined crosses from the wing, creating havoc in the opposing defence.

And finally, Hakimi, the top player: perfect defensively, and offensively beyond words. Then came the responsibility of the penalty, a defining moment for the game and Moroccan football history, which he confidently converted with a panenka. Man of the match.

But Morocco’s first-ever arrival in the World Cup quarter-finals is not luck. A team that, although never having exceeded 40% possession in their games so far, has proven dangerous with their two full-backs, counter-attacking with vertical passes, showing technique, and, above all, being solidly covered in all areas of the pitch. In last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Egypt, Morocco played a patient game, with high possession, numerous tight exchanges, but it seemed a sterile style of play—much like Spain’s at this World Cup.

The victory was the result of careful study by coach Hoalid Regragui of his best players’ strengths, opponents’ weaknesses, and the best strategy, even to the point of challenging himself by playing a style of football he had never favoured before.

But there’s more: a national team that had never been this strong is the result of an organised youth development effort, with many young players sent abroad to learn tactics later, but first being the same young players you see on the streets in any Moroccan city—something sorely lacking in the Italian system, which is too focused on tactics and perhaps, in the early years, should let young talents express themselves freely. Finally, this match also highlights a decline for Spain, a game no longer surprising, almost predictable, lacking finishers, with a desperate focus on possession without enough verticality, but the most critical aspect of the result may be the lack of personality: like in the European Championship, they exited on penalties, without scoring even one. The last of these, missed by Busquets—perhaps the least charismatic captain in Spain’s history—extinguished their hopes. And who knows if Sergio Ramos, the former captain deliberately left out, could have changed the fate of the Spanish national team.

By Antonio Spampinato

A Saikeirei bow. With this gesture, the coach Hajime Moriyasu bids farewell to Japan’s World Cup journey in front of Japanese fans after their penalty shootout defeat to Croatia. A special, heartfelt bow, the most significant and profound one in Japanese tradition. A simple, yet meaningful gesture after he had hugged and consoled each of the 26 “samurai” who took part in the Qatar 2022 campaign at the end of the match.

Thus, the team from the Land of the Rising Sun leaves Doha, but this World Cup will hardly erase the indelible mark it has left. And no, we’re not only talking about the incredible comebacks against Spain and Germany, or even the remarkable first-place finish in the group. We’re speaking of a much greater lesson, a lesson of education, civility, and pure sportsmanship that best embodies the spirit on which Japanese football tradition is founded.

It was 1921 when the first historic Japanese championship was held by the Japan Football Association. Even back then, the true core of the entire system was the world of schools. In fact, football would remain a sport limited to academic circles for many years, a minor sport compared to the hugely popular baseball. Above all, the country’s organisational structure dictated that the relationship between sport and education was inseparable: the students had to follow strict discipline and achieve excellent grades in their studies. Talent alone wasn’t enough to be a player; every single boy had to be prepared to compete, particularly with the high standards of the working world, and be trained as well as possible to ensure the best professional contribution within companies. But the jolt—or rather the true turning point in Japanese football—came in response to the horrific events that marked an era: the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Indeed, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, after they were cancelled during the Second World War, marked a chance for redemption for an entire population, and Japan in particular didn’t want to be unprepared as the host nation. In 1960, with the surprising victory of a team founded by an electric company, the academic academies’ dominance was broken, finally making room for investments from large companies. In the meantime, Japan began to showcase its incredible achievements at the Olympics, beating formidable Argentina 1-0, and proving that this sport was on the rise.

Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Toyo (now known as “Mazda”) were among the most influential names that began shifting their capital towards the burgeoning football world. This created a true domino effect for Japan in the coming decades: the emergence of major sponsorship deals with corporate giants like Toshiba, the memorable bronze at the 1968 Olympics, the introduction of a second division in 1972, and the establishment of the definitive J-League in 1992, which is still Japan’s top league.

Excitement and enthusiasm grew exponentially, fuelled by the parallel growth of football in neighbouring South Korea. Sports marketing continued to expand, with the entry of sector leaders such as Mizuno and Sony. Japanese football was on a complete upswing, and on November 8, 1992, Japan won its first trophy: the national team of the Land of the Rising Sun lifted its first Asian Cup after the final victory over Saudi Arabia.

In total, Japan has lifted the Asian Cup four times (1992, 2000, 2004, and 2011). And it was with an Italian coach, Alberto Zaccheroni, that they brought home the last one to date in 2011.

An exciting football movement that grew in schools and rose to dominate the Asian scene, thanks also to investments from Japanese corporate giants. A perfect combination of sporting values and academic education, which makes Japan’s national team one of the most respected and loved, and still today includes as many as 13 national players out of 26 recruited from high school leagues. The locker rooms left perfectly tidy before leaving the stadium after the match and fans cleaning the stands after the final whistle are just the latest examples of the noble Japanese spirit: “wakon yosai.”

In short, yet another lesson in civility reaches us from the Far East, a ray of light and hope from the Land of the Rising Sun that brightens the darkness of scandals and controversies surrounding global football today.

Thank you, Japan.

By Luca D’Addario