The controversy surrounding Egonu and Dong Yuhan continues to escalate, with netizens launching a "campaign" on Instagram demanding an apology.

The second leg of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Hong Kong wrapped up on the evening of June 22, Beijing time. In a highlight match, the Chinese women's team faced off against the world number one, Italy, and lost 0-3. More noteworthy than the match result was the moment when Italy's powerful player Egonu was successfully blocked by young Chinese player Dong Yuhan during the middle of the third set, leading Egonu to gesture for Dong to discuss the play at the net. This action sparked intense discussions among domestic netizens, many of whom felt that Egonu's behavior was disrespectful.

Egonu had several opportunities to face off directly against Dong Yuhan during the match.

The match between the Chinese women's team and Italy was not only the final game for the Chinese team in Hong Kong but also the climax of the event. The Chinese team began the tournament by defeating the Czech Republic 3-1, then narrowly won against Bulgaria in a five-set battle, and later reclaimed the title of Asia's "number one sister" by beating Japan 3-1 before facing world number one Italy that evening. The Chinese team was missing their offensive core, Wu Mengjie, who was injured in the match against Japan, making the loss to the strong Italian team understandable. After two legs of the VNL, the Chinese women's team has achieved 5 wins and 3 losses, currently ranking sixth in the league. In early July, they will compete in the third leg in Arlington, USA.

Even though the Hong Kong leg of the tournament has concluded, its aftermath continues to unfold online. Media reports described Egonu's disrespectful gesture, noting that during the third set, the Chinese team was still closely contesting the score. Young player Dong Yuhan, who replaced Wu Mengjie, successfully blocked Egonu's spike, leading to a celebration among the Chinese team. At that moment, the Italian offensive star approached the net, gesturing for Dong to come over, and the two exchanged a few words. The referee deemed Egonu's actions inappropriate and issued her a yellow card, which she appeared to misunderstand.

While celebrating excitedly with her teammates, Egonu made a gesture indicating for Dong Yuhan to come closer and spoke to her with a serious expression.

Related videos quickly went viral on Weibo, with netizens generally viewing Egonu's actions as disrespectful, especially her gesture, which was interpreted as: "Feeling upset after being blocked, she called out to little Dong (Dong Yuhan) across the net." Comments on Weibo overwhelmingly criticized Egonu, accusing the Italian player of being "very low-quality" and questioning "which star acts so rudely." The backlash extended beyond Weibo, with some encouraging others to launch a campaign on Instagram demanding an apology from Egonu.

After receiving numerous messages from Chinese netizens, Egonu also posted a story on Instagram explaining her original intention, stating, "I just wanted the player to be careful because she (Dong Yuhan) stepped into my area, which could pose a danger to both of us." Egonu insisted that netizens could interpret her actions as "bullying," but she only wanted to prevent any injuries to players, and she did not care about being blocked, as that is part of volleyball.

Egonu clarified in a post-match statement that her actions were by no means intended to bully Dong Yuhan.

Data shows that Egonu, who plays as an opposite hitter, stands at 1.93 meters tall, and her diagonal attacks are her specialty. Additionally, Egonu's spike height reaches 3.44 meters, and her power is extremely formidable. In 2022, she set a record speed of 112.7 km/h for spikes during the VNL, breaking the previous record held by Serbian star Tijana Boskovic. From the data, it is clear that stopping Egonu's powerful spikes is no easy task for opponents, requiring precise timing and teamwork.

Egonu rose to fame early; she was selected as the flag bearer for the Italian delegation during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. She has also led her team to win the VNL championships in 2022 and 2024, being named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both tournaments. In Italy, she is already a household name and a superstar athlete.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Egonu led the Italian women's volleyball team to the finals, where they defeated the USA, achieving the best result in team history and winning Italy's first-ever Olympic medal in women's volleyball. At 26, Egonu is in the prime of her career, and the Italian women's team hopes to reach new heights under her leadership, with their current goal being to successfully defend their VNL title.

2024巴黎奥运会，埃格努带领意大利女排一路杀进决赛，决赛更是掀翻美国封后创下队史最佳成绩，并获得意大利历来首枚奥运会女排奖牌。26岁的埃格努正处球员黄金期，意大利女排有望在她的带领下再创高峰，而她们当下的目标是成功卫冕VNL。