Bulgaria's U18 national team will face host Italy in the bronze medal match at the European Championship.
The 'Azzurri' lost the second semi-final to France 2:3 (25:20, 14:25, 21:25, 25:23, 12:15). The Italians took the lead after the first set and managed to equalize at 2:2, but France won the tie-break 15:12 and qualified for the final. The first referee of the match was Lyubomir Petrov.
Thus, on Saturday at 18:00 Bulgarian time, in the 'Pala Savelli' hall in Porto San Giorgio, Miroslav Zhivkov's proteges will try to bring our country its first bronze medal in this age group since 2020.
Bulgaria was just one set away from qualifying for the final. The national team dramatically lost to Poland 2:3 (25:19, 19:25, 35:33, 17:25, 10:15) in the first semi-final, after taking a 2:1 lead following a truly epic battle in the third set.
However, after that, the Bulgarian team's play sharply changed. Poland convincingly took the lead in the fourth set, equalized the score, and carried their momentum into the tie-break, where they quickly built up a lead and did not allow our team to achieve another comeback.
Despite the painful loss, Bulgaria retains the opportunity to finish the championship with a medal. The last obstacle for Miroslav Zhivkov's team is host Italy, who will also be seeking consolation after missing out on qualification for the final.