The group stage of the World Cup in the Philippines concluded today, and five of the eight Allianz Milano players qualified for the round of 16. Let’s start with those who were excluded. Against all odds, Fernando Kreling and Tatsunori Otsuka will return to Malpensa first to train with the team. Brazil and Japan, despite ranking third and seventh in the world, were eliminated. Japan finished second to last in Pool G, despite a trio of spikers of the caliber of Otsuka, Ran, and former Milan player Yuki Ishikawa, who remains the leading scorer in Allianz Milano history with 1,837 points in 147 games. Otsuka was used for only two rotations in the futile 3-0 defeat against Libya.
