Italy's men's volleyball team downed Japan in straight sets (25-22, 26-24, 25-22) on the second day of fourth-round action in the 2011 FIVB Men's World Cup at Yoyogi National Gym on Saturday.
Michal Lasko was sublime in the victory for Italy (7-3), scoring 13 points. Alessandro Fei was named the most impressive player of the match.
Italy coach Mauro Berruto said, "I'm very proud of my players for many reasons. Technically, because we didn't know much about Japan. Mentally, because they were humble and kept their poise. We had to beat Japan and Iran to give us a chance at third place. We are halfway there now. We will try our best tomorrow".
Tatsuya Fukuzawa notched a match-high 14 points for Japan (2-8).
"We played well at the start. I think our blocks were good," Japan coach Tatsuya Ueta said. "We were pushed at the end of the sets and lost points on service. We will start preparing for tomorrow and give it our best".