Porto San GiorgioBulgaria's U18 national 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 "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 national team started confidently and won the first set 25:19, but the Poles quickly equalized with 25:19 in the second. The third set, lasting 45 minutes, proved to be the most dramatic, with both teams constantly exchanging the lead. After numerous missed set points, Bulgaria managed to prevail 35:33 and came just one step away from the grand final.

Instead, there was a sharp decline in the young Bulgarians' game. Poland started the fourth set excellently, taking an 8:1 lead and subsequently increased their advantage to nine points. The Bulgarians managed to reduce some of the deficit, but "Druzyna Polska" pressed again and convincingly closed the set 25:17, sending the match to a tie-break.
The decisive fifth set also began under the dictation of the Poles, who took a 4:1 lead and gradually increased their advantage. Bulgaria managed to narrow the gap, but not to bring back the intrigue. At 14:10, a serve out of bounds ended the match and sent Poland to the final after 15:10.

Thus, Bulgaria will play for the bronze medals at EuroVolley 2026, attempting to equal their 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 honors is on Saturday (July 18) at 18:00 Bulgarian time.
The top scorer for Bulgaria was Nikola Gradinarov with 16 points, including 5 successful blocks. Adrian Ganev added 12 points, and Antoine Veselinov finished with 11.
For Poland, Adam Potemba played an outstanding match with 29 points, including 9 blocks and 1 ace, and Karol Leppert contributed another 16 points.

The match was watched by two former Bulgarian men's national team players – Miroslav Gradinarov, whose son Nikola plays for the "tricolors," and Mariusz Wlazły, whose son Arkadiusz is in the "Druzyna Polska" squad.

Photos: Nikolay Varadinov