Luciano De Cecco was both leader and chief orchestrator in Argentina's 3-0 win over Egypt
Toyama, Japan, September 16, 2015 – Argentina clutched their fourth win of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup Japan 2015 by beating Egypt in straight sets (25-18, 25-19,25-21) at the Toyama City Gymnasium on Wednesday.
Captain and setter Luciano De Cecco, who was named Most Impressive Player, steered Argentina’s well-oiled offensive machine that elicited double-digits from Facundo Conte (15), Cristian Poglajen (11) and Sebastian Sole (10).
Egypt put on a gallant effort up front, deflecting even the fanciest of plays from the Argentine hitters. Ahmed Abdelhay provided the spark for Egypt’s offence, scoring from his favoured spot on the flank.
Argentina worked on more variety and speed in offence and started to pull away after the first technical timeout. De Cecco orchestrated the Argentine offence by enabling attacks from every angle imaginable. Egypt’s errors did not help their cause either, as Argentina seized the first set at 25-18.
Abdelhay remained the offensive focus, as Egypt enjoyed a 7-5 lead in the second set. Argentina grabbed the lead with Facundo Conte taking charge at the wings. Egypt started optimising their middle to grab a few quick points. But Argentina was even quicker to remedy the surge: They reverted to their vast assortment of armoury to succeed with 25-19 in the second set.
Coach Julio Velasco opted to keep all his starters in the third set, all for good reason. He had the perfect combination of hitters and defenders. While Egypt found difficulty in passing the ball, Argentina’s was nearly flawless and seamless, with De Cecco at the helm. Egypt were able to save a three match points but a kill by Maximiliano Guana ensured Argentina the third set, 25-21.