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| 2006 Men’s
Volleyball World Championship: |
Another defeat for
Tunisia in a dramatic five sets against Argentina
 Sendai,
Japan, November 28, 2006: Argentina came back from 2-1
down to beat Tunisia 3-2 in a desperate Pool E struggle
at Sendai City Gymnasium on Tuesday. Tunisia repeated
what happened in the second day of this pool when they
lost in tie- break also to the organizers Japan.
The South Americans won 25-20, 25-27, 21-25, 25-21,
15-12 to improve their win-loss record to 1-5 and drop
Tunisia to 0-6 one day before the end of the second
round pool.
Both teams gave away easy points in the early stages
with careless serving, before Argentina put a five-point
run together from 6-4 to 11-4 to break open the set.
Marcos Milinkovic and Gustavo Scholtis were the
architects of Argentina's run, which was ended with a
fine spike from the left by Noureddine Hfaiedh.
The Tunisians were strangely subdued, despite the
efforts of libero Amine Besrour to shake them out of
their lethargy with his vocal encouragement.
Gustavo Porporatto and Alejandro Spajic began to
dominate the net, and Milinkovic brought up the second
TTO with a stylish strike from the right, 16-9.
When Scholtis pounded another winner from the left to
move his team ahead 21-16, Tunisia called the first TO
of the match. The talk had an immediate impact, as Hosni
Karamosly scored at the net to give his team hopes of a
late rally.
Setter Luciano De Cecco showed his quick thinking and
expert technique with a swift left-handed flick into
space to take Argentina nearer their target, and Gaston
Giani finished it 25-20 on the right with a
sharply-angled kill from a high leap.
In the second set, Tunisia turned more to Aymen Ben
Brik, but he was well blocked and replaced by Khaled
Belaid. Mohamed Trabelsi showed his quality at the net
as Tunisia made up ground after a slow start, and
captain Ghazi Guidara set a fine example with some agile
digging.
The Tunisians were in the game now, and a Belaid block
moved them two points ahead, 12-10, and brought an
Argentina TO.
Behind the floating serves of Spajic, which he followed
up with determined digging, and more good work out wide
from Giani, the South Americans caught up midway through
the set, and trailed by only one, 16-15, at the second
TTO -- a crashing left-wing winner from the impressive
Hfaiedh.
The Tunisian block was moving quickly to thwart
Milinkovic and Scholtis, and when Hichem Kaabi beat the
Argentine defence for 21-18, Argentina coach Jon Uriarte
needed his second TO of the set.
Spajic and Trabelsi exchanged powerful spikes at the net
as the teams remained close, and an alert piece of play
from Porporatto brought Argentina level 23-23 and forced
a Tunisia TO.
Tunisia missed two set points before, at 26-25, Hfaiedh
outfoxed Milinkovic on Argentina's right flank to score
a scrappy but crucial point to end the set 27-25 for
1-1.
Argentina made a slow start to the third set, and
trailed by three at the first TTO. Hfaiedh was proving
difficult to stop, and Argentina called a TO on falling
behind 12-9 due to some wild spiking.
Belaid pounced at the net to move Tunisia further ahead,
14-10, at which point Uriarte replaced the misfiring
Scholtis with Leandro Concina, and Belaid, now on the
left, brought up the second TTO 16-11.
When Hfaiedh blocked Milinkovic for 18-11, Tunisia were
well on top, and Kaabi, with a mighty leap and clean hit
on the right, kept them moving forward.
The blocking of Milinkovic and Spajic helped Argentina
close the gap, and Concina spiked powerfully from the
left to reduce their arrears to four at 22-18. A
lightning strike from Belaid on the left brought up set
point for Tunisia at 24-20, and a long serve from De
Cecco handed the Africans the third frame 25-21 for them
to lead 2-1.
Kaabi's spiking and digging was the feature of Tunisia's
determined start to the fourth set, and a wristy winner
from Hfaiedh gave them a two-point advantage at the
first technical break.
Argentina needed a TO down 12-8, and came back to surge
ahead 14-12. When Milinkovic made it 15-13, Tunisia sent
in Ben Brik for Belaid, but Argentina had the momentum
16-13 at the second TTO.
Spajic, with a lusty blow at the net, Milinkovic on the
right following a spectacular back-court dig from
Jeronimo Bidegain, and Concina took Argentina to 22-19
and within sight of the set. Spajic was the dominant
figure down the stretch, as Argentina closed it out
25-21 on their first set point for 2-2.
Porporatto went into the tie-break with four block
points among his 12 in total and was quick to influence
the decider with his work at the net as Argentina jumped
out to 4-1. Kaabi was still a huge threat for Tunisia,
though, and when he rose on the right and spiked
ferociously for 4-4, Argentina took a TO.
An attacking error from Spajic enabled Tunisia to pull
level 6-6, but Milinkovic's bullet serve at Belaid
restored Argentina's two-point lead, 8-6, at the
turnaround.
Argentina stayed in front, but only just, and had two
match point at 14-12, and Milinkovic ended it on the
right 15-12.
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CGI
