New Year’s Eve with a bang at Sir Susa Scai Perugia! 2025 couldn’t have ended in a better way, featuring a Champions League and the third Club World Cup in the club’s history! And the icing on the cake arrived last night, in the single match of the Quarter Final of the Italian Cup, at the Perugia stadium, with Lube.
A long and hard-fought match was certainly expected, and it was, with both teams pushing serves right from the start, long and adrenaline-filled rallies, bursts of attack that gave the public the emotions of a great match. The Block Devils won 3-1, gaining access to the Final Four scheduled, again this year, at the Unipol Arena in Bologna on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February 2026 and giving themselves the end of the year that everyone wanted!
President Sirci’s boys will face Rana Verona in the second semi-final on Saturday, at 6pm, who beat Allianz Milano 3-0 in the quarter-final last night. In the first semi-final, at 3.30pm, Trento and Piacenza will take to the field, having gained access to the Final Four by beating Monza 3-0 in the match on Monday 29th and Modena 3-1 last night respectively.
Massimo Colaci had also said on the eve of the quarter-final against Lube that it would be a match that would be played above all in the challenge between serving and receiving, and last night he confirmed the predictions: «We had prepared for a match like this, against Lube I always expect a very, very long and complicated match because even when you are two or three points ahead, they have so much quality on serve that they force you to play high ball or make you aces. Luckily, especially in the most important moments of the sets, we managed to hold our own in receiving and then also come out well with the attacking shots. We are happy: it was really complicated this year so in my opinion the achievement of this Final Four has even more value.”
In order to take stock of this 2025, the Juventus libero broadens the scope of the entire cycle that the team has been experiencing since coach Lorenzetti arrived on the bench: «It’s a great moment, I say that the cycle that has opened since Angelo (Lorenzetti) arrived up to this moment is a great cycle. It’s clear, we also had some difficult moments, we also suffered defeats, but this is part of sport. Let’s not forget that out of nine trophies played, in nine competitions, we have brought home seven and this is something exceptional, it cannot be taken for granted, it is not normal in high-level sport, so it is a moment that has been going on for a while for this team, but the most important thing in my opinion is that this team is not satisfied, it is still very, very hungry, it still has the desire to try and seek improvement and that is what we are doing. Luckily we have staff who, as soon as they see a decline, always make us keep our attention high.”
The Juventus coach encapsulates this season finale in two key concepts, both full of gratitude: «Two words. The first is that I am really proud of the boys, this match is theirs alone because since we came back here we have never trained, I haven’t done anything. I’m really proud because they were good even in the moments when we knew we would sigh. The other is a wish to our fans: that 2026 will be like this evening, where there was welcome, warmth, the feeling of never being alone. May it be a year where we hold hands more and more and we will try to deserve it more and more.”
Olympic champion Andres Mol was a special guest yesterday in Perugia
On the occasion of the Italian Cup Quarter Final, yesterday evening Sir Susa Scai Perugia had the pleasure of hosting a great protagonist of sport, the Norwegian Olympic champion Andres Mol, beach volleyball player, winner of the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Together with his partner, also a Norwegian former volleyball player, Merita Bersten, followed the match and then stopped, at the end of the match, together with the captain, Simone Giannelli, to the President Gino Sirci and to Lorenzo and Emanuela Cesaretti, of Scai. A tangible sign of the ever-growing appeal of the Juventus team, Sir Susa Scai Perugia. A great team of great champions, which attracts champions!
The Panathlon Club Perugia awarded Simone Giannelli
The Panathlon Club Perugia, which this year celebrates its 70th anniversary of its foundation, has been awarding the prestigious Giorgio Bottelli Award – A champion’s life every year since 1971. This year the recognition went to Simone Giannelli, Captain of the World Champion Sir Susa Scai Perugia. He was awarded by the President of the Panathlon Club Perugia, Luca Ginetto, together with the President of Sir Susa Scai Perugia Gino Sirci, also a member of the meritorious association recognized by CONI. Thanks to Panathlon, always and all over the world, close to Sport and above all committed to Fair Play.
