The Polish national team qualified for the final of the U22 Men's European Volleyball Championship after decisively defeating the reigning champions France 3:0 (25:23, 25:17, 25:18) in the tournament's semifinals.
After a relatively hesitant performance in the group stage, where the Poles finished second, Piotr Graban's team showed an impressive display in the eliminations and dethroned the European title holder.
Only the first set offered serious intrigue. The French led 16:13, but after a strong run by the Poles and excellent block play, the comeback became a reality. In the decisive moments, team leader Wojciech Gajek led Poland to a 25:23 victory.
After that, the match was entirely dictated by "Druzyna polska" (the Polish team). The Poles dominated in all elements, especially blocking and serving, and closed the next two sets with 25:17 and 25:18 without much difficulty.
The most effective player for the winners was opposite Wojciech Gajek with 19 points, of which 14 were in attack, 3 blocks, and 2 aces. Jakub Kiedos added 13 points, and Aleksander Maciejewski contributed 6. The Polish team made a total of 9 successful blocks against the French.
In the other semifinal, Czechia staged an impressive comeback against Israel. After trailing 0:2 sets, the Czech squad secured a 3:2 victory (22:25, 40:42, 25:20, 25:18, 15:9). The second set was particularly dramatic, which Israel won with an impressive 42:40.
Thus, Poland and Czechia will meet in the final of the U22 European Championship, while France will compete for the bronze medals against Israel.
Poland (third at the last European Championship in 2024) will pursue its first European title in this age category, while Czechia (7th in 2024) will try to crown its impressive performance, following a two-set comeback in the semifinals, with a trophy.