Portugal suffered a heavy defeat in their first match at EuroVolley 2026, but the performance of the Iberians against Poland provided enough material for analysis before their match tomorrow against Bulgaria in "Arena 8888".
World No. 1 and reigning European champion Poland won 3-0 (25:12, 25:18, 25:20), with the first set being particularly indicative. In just 20 minutes, the Poles crushed their opponent 25:12 and practically showed from the start the most direct path to Portugal – constant pressure and limiting their own errors.
For Bulgaria, however, the result should not be misleading. The Portuguese looked much more competitive in the second set. They even took a 9:8 lead after a strong block, before Poland regained control.
This is probably the most important warning for Gianlorenzo Blengini's team. Portugal does not have the power and depth of Poland, but when given the opportunity to play organized, they can stay close in the score. In the second set, the difference was minimal for a long time, before a service run by Bartłomiej Lemański helped the Poles pull away from 12:11 to 17:13.

The most telling number from the match, however, is the errors. Portugal made 27, of which 12 were in attack. Poland finished with 18 errors, and only two of them were in attack. The Portuguese did not record a single ace, while the Poles scored four direct points from serve.
This also outlines one of Bulgaria's main tasks – the serve should take the Portuguese reception out of its comfort zone and force the opponent to attack from more uncomfortable situations. Against Poland, it was precisely the sustained pressure that gradually increased the number of errors by the Iberians.
At the same time, Portugal showed character. After the disastrous 12:25 in the first set, the team did not fall apart. The second was significantly more contested, and in the third, Nikola Grbić seriously utilized his reserves. Poland again took an early lead, extended their advantage to 15:9, and calmly closed out the match.
Tomorrow's match also carries an interesting reference to the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines. Bulgaria and Portugal met in the round of 16 in Pasay City, where our national team won 3-0 (25:19, 25:23, 25:13) and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Now the two teams face each other again, this time in the group stage of the European Championship and in front of a Bulgarian audience.
Bulgaria has already taken the first step with a 3-0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:18) victory against the Republic of North Macedonia. Portugal comes into tomorrow's match after a 0-3 loss to Poland and will certainly be looking for a reaction. That is precisely why the rout by the European champion should not reassure our national team.
Poland showed the recipe – pressure from serve, discipline in their own play, and forcing Portugal to take increasing risks in attack. Bulgaria has already seen what can happen when this recipe is fully executed – 25:12 in just 20 minutes. After their victory over Portugal, Poland overtook Bulgaria and topped Group B thanks to a better point ratio – 1.5000 versus 1.3889 for the "Lions", after both teams have one 3-0 victory and 3 points each.
Tomorrow at 7:00 PM in "Arena 8888", it's our national team's turn to apply it.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov