The Bulgarian national team for men under 18 years concluded its participation in the European Championship, held in Sofia and Plovdiv, with a 1:3 (20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17) loss to Poland.
For our team, the most effective player in the match against "Drużyna Polska" was captain Petyo Ivanov, who scored 15 points (including 3 blocks).

Zhasmin Velichkov added 13 points (including 3 blocks), and Konstantin Manolev contributed 11 points (1 ace, 1 block).

For the Polish team, Jakub Szczurowski scored 20 points (2 blocks, 2 aces).
Bulgaria did not leave the championship without a fight. We managed to maintain high intensity in the first set, which we won with dedicated struggle and concentration. The Poles, who had already secured their place in the semi-finals, took a 5:1 lead in the second set and left no doubt that they would be the winners until the end. Unfortunately, after losing the second game, our strength was only enough to keep the hope for something better alive in the third set, but after the 20th point, the "white-reds" pressed and closed it out with 25:20. The match will also be remembered for the poor officiating of the Greek head referee Lemonia Moula, who issued two red cards at the end of the match.
Thus, our team finished with a negative balance of 3 wins and 4 losses, which places us 5th in the group. In the final ranking of EuroVolley 2024, Bulgaria will share 9th/10th place.