Porto San GiorgioThe Bulgarian national U18 team was just one set away from qualifying for the final of the European Championship in Italy. Miroslav Zhivkov's proteges dramatically lost to Poland 2:3 (25:19, 19:25, 35:33, 17:25, 10:15) in the first semifinal, played in the 'Pala Savelli' hall in Porto San Giorgio, after taking a 2:1 set lead following a truly epic battle in the third set.
The Bulgarian nationals started confidently, winning the first set 25:19, but the Poles quickly equalized with a 25:19 victory in the second. The third set proved to be the most dramatic, lasting 45 minutes, with the two teams constantly exchanging the lead. After numerous missed set points, Bulgaria managed to prevail 35:33, coming just one step away from the grand final.

Instead, a sharp decline followed in the 'young lions'' play. Poland started the fourth set excellently, taking an 8:1 lead and subsequently increasing their advantage to nine points. The Bulgarians managed to reduce some of the deficit, but the 'Polish squad' pressed again and convincingly closed the set 25:17, sending the match to a tie-break.
The decisive fifth set also began under the Poles' dictation, as they took a 4:1 lead and gradually increased their advantage. Bulgaria managed to close the gap, but not to bring back the intrigue. At 14:10, an out-of-bounds serve ended the match and sent Poland to the final with a 15:10 score.

Thus, Bulgaria will play for the bronze medals at EuroVolley 2026, aiming to equal its best ranking in this age group – third place from 2020. In the bronze medal match, Miroslav Zhivkov's team will face the loser of the second semifinal between host Italy and France. The match for the bronze medals is on Saturday (July 18) at 18:00 Bulgarian time.
Nikola Gradinarov was the top scorer for Bulgaria with 16 points, including 5 successful blocks. Adrian Ganev added 12 points, and Antoan Veselinov finished with 11.
For Poland, Adam Potemba played an outstanding match with 29 points, including 9 blocks and 1 ace, while Karol Leppert contributed another 16 points.

The match was watched by two former Bulgarian men's national team players – Miroslav Gradinarov, whose son Nikolo plays for the 'tricolours', and Mariusz Wlazły, whose son Arkadiusz is in the 'Polish squad'.

Photos: Nikolay Varadinov