Ukraine recorded a second consecutive victory at the Men's European Volleyball Championship, after defeating North Macedonia 3:0 (25:22, 25:22, 25:10) in "Arena 8888 Sofia".
This is an important result for Bulgaria as well, as the Ukrainians now have two wins in Group B, while North Macedonia remains without a success after its first two matches.
Ukraine started strong and took a 3:0 lead in the first set, and a series of good serves allowed Raul Lozano's team to open up a lead to 15:8. North Macedonia, however, did not give up and used the fluctuations in their opponent's play to get back into the set. The Ukrainians reached 24:20 and although the Macedonians saved two set points, Plotnytskyi and his teammates closed the set at 25:22.
A similar scenario unfolded in the second set. Ukraine took a 6:1 lead and subsequently increased their advantage to 14:8, but North Macedonia again managed to close the gap towards the end. The difference narrowed to just one point at 23:22, before the Ukrainians won the next two rallies – again 25:22.
The third set was entirely under Ukraine's control. North Macedonia failed to maintain the level from the first two parts, and the Ukrainians did not allow a new comeback in the score, crushing their opponent 25:10.
The big difference in the match came from the serve. Ukraine finished with an impressive 15 aces against only 2 for North Macedonia. The Ukrainians also had an advantage in attack – 37:30 points, as well as a minimal lead in blocks – 8:7.
Plotnytskyi was the top scorer for the winners with 16 points, with as many as 7 of them coming directly from serves. Kisilyuk added 14 points, and Tupchii finished with 12. For North Macedonia, Georgiev scored 8 points.
The match lasted 79 minutes, and the third set is particularly indicative – after two relatively contested sets, Ukraine left no chances for North Macedonia. The 15 aces also highlight the Ukrainians' most serious weapon in this match – the serve.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov