He shocked Serbia in a match and Italy made… up and down the group!

A dynamic beginning for the round of 16 of the World Cup, with Serbia and Italy to offer us perhaps the best game of the tournament, so far. Finally, Gianmarco Pozzeco’s players survived and with a score of 76-78 got a valuable victory, against the background of the knockouts.

Now, the Serbs… are in trouble for good, since if the powerful Dominican Republic make 2/2 and beat them (3/9, 15:00) and h Italy does its duty against Puerto Rico (03/09, 11:00), they will be out of the competition from the “16”!

“Plavi” escaped the score with +16, in the middle of the third period. However, the “squadra azzura” managed to turn the tables, thanks to the big shots he got from the amazing Simone Fontecchio and his teammates. Final “grand guignol” in Manila, with Italy showing more composure and coming out “alive” from the thriller.

Great protagonist for Italy o Simone Fontecchio, with 30 points and 7 rebounds. Very good in the first period Markos Spisou, who stopped at 14 points.

Serbia, on the other hand, had a good day Bogdanovic with 18 and Dobrich with 15 points, respectively. Excellent o Nikola Milutinovwith the Olympiakos center achieving a double double, with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The match

Very strong start for Italy, which, using its regional game as a weapon, brought the difference to double digits early on (+10, 10-20 in 8′). Serbia tried to respond to the “reed” of its opponent, making its game tougher. The “scissors” closed and the first quarter ended with a score of 19-23.

Then, “Plavi” turned up the heat and turned the game upside down. A 14-0 run, which started from the first period, combined with the tightening of their defensive operation, brought the score to +4 (29-25 at 14′). The big shots once again got Gianmarco Pozzeco’s team out of a difficult position, which with a 9-0 led 31-35 at 16′. The distance did not open any further and the half ended with a terrific shot by Bogdanovic, for 42-40.

The picture of the match did not change after the break. Instead, Serbia “stepped on the gas”, taking its first double-digit lead (+12, 54-42 at 24′). Svetislav Pesic’s team dictated their pace, with their blocking function a great ally. Nevertheless, the “squadra atzura” did not give up the game, reducing to three points (62-59) at the end of the third period.

The last part of the match was full of tension. Italy completed the reversal and in “cold blood” brought the difference to +5 (67-72 at 36′). Dramatic in the last minutes, with Podzeko’s players feeling the hot “breath” of Serbia and Fontekios scoring a big basket at 33 seconds, for 74-78. Fatal for Stefan Jovic who missed the last shot, with the game ending at 76-78.

The quarters: 19-23, 42-40, 62-59, 76-78

See the match statistics here