DESCRIPTION

In this semi-final match, the tried and tested veteran Gianpiero Pastore of Italy takes on the young and dominant German, Nicolas Limbach. Throughout the match, Limbach stays on the defensive, goading Pastore into attacking him all the way down the strip, faking him out and keeping him on the edge the whole time. On most points, Limbach's provocations result in Pastore finishing his attack too early, and the German either parries the attack or moves out of its way, only to initiate his own offensive move and score the touch. After the mid-bout break, Limbach, perhaps over-confident with his lead, loses a few points by throwing a few hasty attacks that fall short. However, he quickly recovers and goes back to his original strategy, backing up on the strip and inciting an impatient Pastore to miss over and over. Limbach answers his opponent's failed attacks with strong, successful ones of his own to dominate the match and advance to the gold medal round.