Finland delivered the headline result of Sunday’s CEV EuroVolley 2026 Men action with a commanding straight-set victory over Serbia, while Slovenia, Denmark and Poland also collected convincing wins. Israel completed the day’s drama by edging Portugal in five sets.
In Tampere, Finland thrilled a crowd of 10,929 at Nokia Arena by beating Serbia 3-0. The hosts stayed composed in the key moments and closed out all three sets without allowing Serbia to extend the match.
Joonas Jokela led Finland with 19 points, while Nooa Marttila scored 12 and Luka Marttila added nine. The victory also marked Finland’s first straight-set European Championship success against Serbia since 2009.
Slovenia were equally impressive in Pool A, brushing aside Sweden in Modena. Nik Mujanović scored 17 points and Jan Kozamernik added 11 as Slovenia controlled the opening and closing sets, while also surviving a tighter battle in the second.
Denmark continued their strong form with a 3-0 victory over Estonia. The opening set went deep into extra points before Denmark took it 28-26, after which they gradually took control. Mads Kyed Jensen finished as the leading scorer with 19 points.
In Sofia, Israel produced the day’s closest contest by recovering twice from a set behind to defeat Portugal 3-2. The match went to a deciding fifth set, where Israel raced clear and sealed victory 15-7.
Mark Rura led Israel with 23 points, supported by Shay Liberman with 21. Portugal enjoyed advantages in several statistical areas, but a high number of errors proved costly.
Poland also maintained their dominant start in Pool B with a comfortable straight-set win over North Macedonia. The reigning European champions remained unbeaten in sets, with Bartłomiej Bołądź leading the team with 13 points.
Results
Slovenia 3-0 Sweden 25-16, 25-21, 25-12
Finland 3-0 Serbia 25-19, 25-21, 25-23
Estonia 0-3 Denmark 26-28, 22-25, 16-25
Portugal 2-3 Israel 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 7-15
North Macedonia 0-3 Poland 19-25, 16-25, 13-25