Portugal concluded its participation in Group B of the European Championship in Sofia with a decisive 3:0 (25:13, 25:20, 25:20) victory over North Macedonia. The match at "Arena 8888 Sofia" lasted 75 minutes, and the success kept the Portuguese in the fight for the last spot, which grants participation in the Round of 16.
Portugal left no chances for North Macedonia
The Portuguese asserted their superiority already in the first set, which they won 25:13. North Macedonia offered more serious resistance in the next two sets, but both ended with the same score – 25:20 for Portugal.
Thus, Portugal finishes the group stage with 1 win, 4 losses, and 4 points, while North Macedonia remains without a win after its first four matches.
Alexandre Ferreira led Portugal
The top scorer in the match was Alexandre Ferreira with 17 points, of which 6 were break points. Lourenço Garcia Martins and Kelton Semedo Tavares added 10 points each, Manuel Figueiredo finished with 9, and Filip Cveticanin with 8.
The last participant in the Round of 16 will be determined tomorrow
The victory does not guarantee Portugal a place in the knockout stage. The final question in Group B will be answered tomorrow, September 16, when Israel faces North Macedonia at 16:00 in "Arena 8888 Sofia". CEV confirms this match as the last game for both teams in the group.
Before it, Portugal is fourth with 1 win and 4 points, while Israel has 1 win and 2 points. Israel won against Portugal 3:2 in their direct encounter, but the first criterion for ranking is the number of wins, followed by points.
The calculation is therefore clear – if Israel defeats North Macedonia by any score, they will finish fourth and qualify for the Round of 16 with two wins. If Israel loses, fourth place goes to Portugal.
North Macedonia can no longer reach fourth position. Even with a 3:0 or 3:1 victory, the Macedonians will finish with one win and 3 points, while Portugal already has one win and 4 points.
Thus, tomorrow's match Israel – North Macedonia will practically decide the remote dispute between Israel and Portugal for the last ticket from Group B to the knockout stage.
photo: cev.eu
