The knockout picture at EuroVolley is becoming clearer after another packed round of pool action, with Italy, France and Poland maintaining their unbeaten runs and Greece building valuable momentum at a crucial stage of the tournament.
Greece continued an impressive two-day stretch by defeating Sweden 3-1, adding another victory after their success against Slovenia. Dimitrios Mouchlias led the Greek scoring with 20 points, while Alexandros Raptis contributed 15. Sweden’s Axel Enlund produced 24 points, but Greece were stronger when the fourth set reached its decisive phase.
Italy had to respond to an early setback against Czechia in Modena. After dropping the first set 25-23, the hosts raised their level to take the next three. Yuri Romanò led Italy with 24 points, while Mattia Bottolo added 22 as the Italians maintained their perfect Pool A record.
France also preserved their unbeaten status with 3-0 victory over Germany in Pool D. Nine French aces helped keep Germany under sustained pressure, while Théo Faure finished with 18 points. The result secured first place in the pool for France.
Elsewhere in Pool D, Switzerland finally converted a series of competitive displays into their first victory, beating Latvia 3-1. The Swiss claimed the opening two sets, recovered after Latvia dominated the third and held firm in the fourth to complete the win.
Finland endured the longest battle of the day, coming from behind to edge the Netherlands in five sets. The Dutch twice held the advantage, but Finland forced a deciding set and won it 15-11, collecting their fourth victory and reaching 11 points in Pool C.
Belgium also came from behind, overcoming Denmark 3-1 after losing the opening set. Ferre Reggers inspired the recovery with 25 points as the Red Dragons found enough energy to secure another victory following a demanding schedule.
Portugal concluded their Pool B campaign with a straight-sets win over North Macedonia. Alexandre Ferreira scored 17 points in a match Portugal largely controlled through stronger attacking efficiency, reception and net play.
Poland, meanwhile, won the battle of Pool B’s unbeaten teams with a 3-0 victory over Ukraine. A fast Polish start established the tone before a dominant second set put the match firmly in their hands. Ukraine offered greater resistance in the third, but Poland closed out the sweep, with Bartłomiej Bołądz finishing as the leading scorer on 20 points.
With the pool stage approaching its conclusion, every remaining point carries greater weight as teams fight to secure their places in the knockout rounds.
Results
Pool A: Greece 3-1 Sweden (25-23, 25-21, 17-25, 25-20); Czechia 1-3 Italy (25-23, 16-25, 20-25, 20-25).
Pool B: North Macedonia 0-3 Portugal (13-25, 20-25, 20-25); Poland 3-0 Ukraine (25-20, 25-13, 25-22).
Pool C: Netherlands 2-3 Finland (25-18, 21-25, 26-24, 20-25, 11-15); Belgium 3-1 Denmark (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-23).
Pool D: Latvia 1-3 Switzerland (22-25, 19-25, 25-16, 22-25); France 3-0 Germany (25-21, 25-17, 25-19).
