FIVB worlds semis fire off

Games Saturday

(Mall of Asia Arena)

2:30 p.m. - Czechia vs Bulgaria

6:30 p.m. - Poland vs Italy

MANILA, Philippines — Tournament favorites Italy and Poland face off earlier than expected, while a couple giant-slayers in Bulgaria and Czechia collide head on for a chance at keeping their fairy tale run going in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship semifinals at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.

The Bulgarians gatecrashed into the semis after pulling the rug from under the fancied Americans in a gripping, come-from-behind 21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13 win; while the Czechs marched on with a 22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-21 edging of the Iranians Thursday.

That set Bulgaria and Czechia up against each other in an intriguing duel scheduled at 2:30 p.m., with both eyeing to extend their stellar run in this 17-day, 32-nation tournament considered the sport’s biggest stage.

It will be extra special for both Bulgaria and Czechia as the former will make its first semis stint since making it that far in 2006 in Japan, where it eventually  wound up with a bronze and the latter its very first as a republic since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993.

Czechoslovakia’s last appearance in that round was 55 years ago when Bulgaria hosted the tilt.

Interestingly, Bulgarian standouts, siblings Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov, who were both pivotal in their quarterfinal win, will have a chance to replicate, if not eclipse, what their father, Vladimir, had won in the Worlds’ 2006 staging — a bronze.

“The belief was always there and always will be there, no matter how much we are down,” said an ecstatic Simeon, who is three years younger than the 21-year-old Aleksandar.

Expected to be equally exciting is the 6:30 p.m. clash of the titans Italy and Poland, who are considered the top two on the planet.

The Italians, No. 2 in the world who rode roughshod over Belgium, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18, Wednesday, will try to get the win and advance to Sunday’s finale where they will earn a crack at back-to-back crown and fifth overall.

For the Poles, the No. 1 in the world, they will try to avenge their 2022 finals defeat to the Gli Azzurri and, at the same time, give themselves a chance at reclaiming the gold they won thrice, including at two straight Worlds in 2014 back home in Poland and 2018 in Italy and Bulgaria.