Our "Lions" suffered an unfortunate first loss, while Poland and France continue their punitive action and pull ahead at the top

Yesterday, the latest intriguing matches were played in the "Levski Sofia" hall. The previous day was a rest day for the tournament. Here's what happened in yesterday's EuroVolley 2024 Group A matches:

1. Ukraine - Austria 0:3 (17:25, 23:25, 24:26)

The first match of the day was between the Ukrainians and the Austrians, with the class of the two opponents promising an evenly matched and interesting encounter. In the first set, however, "Wunderteam" showed better play and deservedly took a 1:0 lead with 25:17. The second set ended far more intriguingly, but again Austria won it 25:23. The third set, which also turned out to be the last in the match, also offered even play. Ukraine tried to get back into the match and was not far from its goal, but in the end the Austrians managed to forge a valuable three-set victory after 26:24. This was the first success and first points for "Wunderteam," while for the Ukrainians it was their fourth consecutive lost match – even without winning a set.

2. Poland - Turkey 3:0 (25:13, 25:23, 27:25)

"Druzyna Polska" continued their punitive action on another day of the EuroVolley 2024 for U18 boys. The "victim" this time was the otherwise pleasant-to-watch Turkish team. The Poles won the first set more than routinely with 25:13, but in the next one they sweated much more to win it. Still, Poland led 2:0 after 25:23, expecting a calm third set. However, Turkey had not given up, greatly intensifying their play. This yielded results, and our southern neighbors were close to winning the set. "Druzyna Polska," for its part, knows when it's the right moment to "wake up," and did so again – in a difficult situation the Poles clinched the set 27:25, which meant another 3:0, thus recording their consecutive clean victory at the European Championship. Poland confidently holds its fate in the group in its hands, even taking sole leadership at the top of the group, as it continues to have only one lost set since the beginning of the championship, while another of their rivals – France – conceded a second one in this round.

3. Bulgaria - Finland 1:3 (16:25, 25:22, 19:25, 23:25)

Unfortunately, our "Lions" suffered their first defeat in Group A of EuroVolley in Sofia, failing to show good play against "Suomi." Our loss is extremely unpleasant, as the Finns were not among the main favorites in the group. However, this should not diminish the Scandinavian country's success, which was fully deserved. We will not dwell on this match in detail in this material, as is traditional, because we cover the matches of the Bulgarian volleyball players in separate articles. We must clarify, however, that after this loss to "Suomi," Bulgaria will have to play under much greater pressure, as direct clashes with Poland and France are coming. It is our clashes against the favorites that will answer the questions of whether we will reach the Final Four of EuroVolley 2024 and whether this ranking will be deserved.

4. Portugal - France 1:3 (22:25, 20:25, 25:21, 18:25)

In the last match of the fourth day in Sofia, the "Roosters" recorded another success, this time defeating the team of Portugal. The "Navigators" played a good match, but France's class prevailed. The first set was won with difficulty by the "Roosters" 25:22, while the second was taken a little easier 25:20. The third set offered a more interesting outcome, as the Iberians upped their game, which gave them a deserved result – a 25:21 victory and reducing the deficit to 1:2 sets. This angered France, who rallied in the next set to prevent any more surprises in the match. After 25:18, the "Roosters" deservedly and expectedly won their consecutive victory at the European Volleyball Championship for U18 boys. Thus, France is hot on Poland's heels, with both teams having 12 points in the top two spots, with only the set difference favoring "Druzyna Polska" – 12:1 against 12:2 for the "Roosters." The direct clash between the two countries, as well as their matches against Bulgaria, are upcoming. These will decide the fate of the semi-finalists from Group A, which is being played in the "Levski Sofia" hall.

photos: cev.eu