1-3, the Chinese women's volleyball team is heading home! The main culprit has been identified: a substitution error handed Italy the bronze medal.

On July 26, Beijing time, the bronze-medal showdown of the World Women's Volleyball League was in full swing. The match between China and the defending champions Italy ended with China falling 1-3 after four sets, failing to secure the bronze and unable to create a miracle. The head coach Zhao Yong is largely responsible for the defeat; bringing in Tang Xin was a disastrous move that handed free points to the opponent.

In this year's Nations League, the Chinese women's volleyball team surprisingly defeated the top-ranked U.S. team in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals. However, they were slapped back to reality in the semifinals, completely dominated by Turkey with no ability to fight back, quickly collapsing in a 0-3 loss to miss the final. In the bronze medal match, they faced Italy, a team that had been swept by Brazil. The opponent was very strong, with a heavy hitter like Egonu, so our chances of winning were slim.

After the match began, the Chinese team was slow to warm up in the first set. Their reception was overwhelmed, and Italy scored from multiple points to quickly stretch the lead. The score gap widened, and China lost 16-25, falling behind 0-1. In the second set, after a fierce battle tied at 13, China scored four consecutive points to lead 17-13, then maintained the advantage, leading 23-18. However, Italy fought back tenaciously, catching up to 23-24. With Egonu's service error, China narrowly won 25-23, leveling the match at 1-1. The third set was a tight contest, with every point closely contested. After a 19-19 tie, Italy gradually took a two-point lead and reached set point first. Tang Xin's attacking error gifted the point, and China lost 22-25—a pity—falling behind 1-2. In the fourth set, affected by the previous loss, China couldn't hold their breath and collapsed, quickly falling behind as Italy pulled away. They lost 13-25, and ultimately China lost 1-3 to Italy, missing the bronze medal.

Looking at this match, it was not surprising that the Chinese women's volleyball team lost to Italy. However, one person must take the blame: head coach Zhao Yong. Tang Xin played so poorly, yet he kept using her. Tang Xin couldn't kill the ball at the front, and her back-row passes were all over the place—she was just giving away points. As a result, we finished fourth in the Nations League, taking home at least 1.22 million RMB in prize money.

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Written by Tiyan Xiaoshuo