Argentina defeated Tunisia 3-0 in the first round of the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup at Hamamatsu Arena on Sunday
Luciano Zornetta and Maximiliano Gauna scored 11 points apiece for Argentina, while Hamza Nagga of Tunisia topped all scorers with 18 points. Argentina led Tunisia on all fronts with 39-33 spikes, 9-7 blocks and 6-2 aces.
Argentina played with an up-and-down tempo that permitted Tunisia to gain better advantage in the early part of the opening set, then Gauna took charge with three excellent spikes and a block that put Argentina back in the lead at 19-16. Tunisia served floaters that somehow left their rivals perplexed on defence but Argentina recovered quickly to take control of the set 25-20.
Nagga led the Tunisian offensive that built a 12-7 lead, but Argentina waged a rally to trim the gap and eventually gain set control at 19-18. Argentina scored a 6-1 run to end the second set in their favour 25-19. In the third set, Argentina utilised their height advantage to defend well at the net and maintain a two-point edge. Luciano De Cecco masterfully crafted plays to set up his hitters to place their spikes in unguarded spots of the Tunisian court to further stretch the lead and the eventual set and match victory 25-20.