Alan Nine
Men’s EuroVolley: Germany stun Bulgaria with comeback as Poland cruise into quarter-finals
SOFIA – Germany overturned a two-set deficit to knock hosts Bulgaria out of the 2026 Men’s EuroVolley, completing a dramatic 3-2 victory (21-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-12) in front of 12,198 spectators. The comeback earned Massimo Botti’s side a quarter-final meeting with Poland.
Bulgaria controlled the opening hour, winning the first two sets by identical 25-21 margins. Germany responded in the third, finding their rhythm in attack and increasing the pressure on the hosts’ reception. They then edged a closely contested fourth set 25-23 before completing the turnaround with a 15-12 win in the decider.
Germany were more effective in attack, converting 53 per cent of their attempts compared with Bulgaria’s 48 per cent. Although the hosts held narrow advantages in aces and blocks, their errors proved costly: Gianlorenzo Blengini’s team committed 26 over the final three sets. Röhrs led Germany with 20 points, while Aleksandar Nikolov finished with 23 for Bulgaria.
Earlier, Poland had become the first team to reach the quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 win over Latvia (25-17, 25-16, 25-16) at Arena 8888. Nikola Grbić’s side dominated at the net, outblocking their opponents 14-4 and converting 63 per cent of their attacks.
Tomasz Fornal led all scorers with 19 points, including six blocks. Poland surged from 2-2 to an 18-9 lead in the opening set, took control midway through the second and quickly overturned a 5-3 deficit in the third to seal victory. Kristers Landzans was Latvia’s leading scorer with 11 points.
Italy turn attention to Denmark after perfect pool stage
TURIN – Italy head into Sunday’s round-of-16 meeting with Denmark after finishing Pool A with five wins from five matches.
Setter Riccardo Sbertoli said topping the group had fulfilled Italy’s first objective, but stressed that the knockout stage required a fresh focus, with the team now approaching the tournament one match at a time.
He also highlighted the importance of all 14 players having spent time on court during the pool stage. In his view, getting the entire squad into a competitive rhythm gives Italy more options as the stakes rise and every contribution becomes increasingly important.
For Alessandro Michieletto, the final pool match against Slovenia marked a significant personal milestone. After seven months away from competition, playing a full set felt like his true return to volleyball. The outside hitter said Italy were improving steadily, but would now need to adapt quickly to a new city, a new arena and the demands of knockout volleyball.
Italy face Denmark at the PalaVela on Sunday, 20 September, with first serve at 21:05. An additional 300 tickets were released on Saturday. A minute’s silence will be observed before the match in memory of former Italy football international Sandro Mazzola.
Italian federation rewards Serie A clubs for youth development
The Italian Volleyball Federation has awarded grants to 18 men’s Serie A clubs in recognition of their role in developing young players subsequently selected for Italy’s junior national teams.
Approved by the Federal Council on 21 November 2025, the initiative forms part of the federation’s programme to support athletes of national interest.
Recipients include Volley Milano, Trentino Volley, A.S. Volley Lube, Cuneo Volley, Sir Safety Perugia, Modena Volley Punto Zero, Pallavolo Padova, Cisterna Volley, Verona Volley and You Energy Volley.
The federation confirmed that the grants had been paid but did not disclose the total funding or the amounts awarded to individual clubs.
