Bulgaria finished the group stage of EuroVolley 2026 with its biggest victory to date. Our national team prevailed over the reigning European champion Poland with 3:2 (20:25, 31:29, 25:23, 19:25, 20:18) after a true volleyball thriller in "Arena 8888 Sofia".
In front of 13,186 spectators, Gianlorenzo Blengini's team showed character, after losing the first set, turning it around to 2:1, allowing the Poles to reach a tie-break, and in it, surviving in overtime to 20:18. The match lasted 144 minutes.
The big figure of the evening was Aleksandar Nikolov, who played an exceptional match and finished with 36 points. Denislav Bardarov added 24, and captain Alex Grozdanov – 12.
Poland started stronger
The European champions set the pace from the very beginning. Poland led 8:7 at the first technical timeout, after which they opened up a lead to 16:11 and 21:15. Bulgaria failed to compensate for the accumulated deficit and the Poles closed the first set with 25:20.
However, this turned out to be just the beginning of the drama.
From 3:8 to an incredible 31:29
The second set seemed even more difficult for Bulgaria. Poland led 8:3, but gradually our national players began to find their rhythm. Denislav Bardarov became an increasingly important figure in the attack, and the inclusion of Martin Atanasov provided additional stability.
Bulgaria practically erased the opponent's lead to 16:15, and then the long point-for-point battle began. The set went through numerous ties and opportunities for both teams, before the hosts snatched it with 31:29.
This was also the longest set in the match – 38 minutes.
Bulgaria turned the match around
Poland again started better in the third set and led 8:4. However, the Bulgarian team was already playing with much more confidence. Gradually the difference was melted down, and at 16:14 our national players were already ahead.
Aleksandar Nikolov continued to carry a huge part of the attacking burden, Bardarov also remained a constant threat, and Bulgaria maintained the initiative in the decisive rallies. The set ended 25:23 and the national team took a 2:1 lead.
Poland struck back
The fourth set was the weakest for Bulgaria after the first. At 8:7 for our national team, nothing foreshadowed serious problems, but a strong series from the Poles followed and the score became 16:10.
Bulgaria tried to come back, but Poland did not allow another turnaround. The European champions reached 21:17 and closed the set with 25:19, sending the match into a tie-break.
Tie-break for the history books – 20:18
Bulgaria started the decisive set magnificently. The national team led 5:2, and at the change of courts the advantage was 10:5. Aleksandar Nikolov continued to attack fearlessly, and the crowd turned "Arena 8888 Sofia" into a true cauldron.
Poland, however, refused to give up. The lead was gradually melted down and at the end, a point-for-point battle began. At 13:13 everything started over, and then both teams had their opportunities to finish the match.
The resolution came only at 20:18. Bulgaria closed the match after 144 minutes of battle and inflicted Poland's first defeat at EuroVolley 2026.
Aleksandar Nikolov – 36 points and 64% in attack
Aleksandar Nikolov's performance was impressive not only in terms of total points. The Bulgarian outside hitter scored 34 out of 53 attacks – 64% efficiency, adding 1 ace and 1 block. He finished with 36 points, a full 12 more than the next highest-scoring Bulgarian player.
Denislav Bardarov had another very strong match – 24 points, of which 23 were in attack with 61% efficiency and 1 ace.
Alex Grozdanov finished with 12 points, being extremely important at the net – 7 successful attacks and 5 blocks.
| Player | Points | Attack | Aces | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleksandar Nikolov | 36 | 34/53 (64%) | 1 | 1 |
| Denislav Bardarov | 24 | 23/38 (61%) | 1 | 0 |
| Alex Grozdanov | 12 | 7/10 (70%) | 0 | 5 |
| Martin Atanasov | 8 | 5/12 (42%) | 2 | 1 |
The numbers show how much of the Bulgarian attack went through Nikolov and Bardarov – the two scored a total of 60 of our national team's 91 points. Their efficiency under such a heavy workload is particularly impressive – Nikolov received 53 balls in attack, and Bardarov 38. Bulgaria won the battle in attack. The national team finished with 76 successful attacks out of 133 attempts – 57%, while Poland scored 58 out of 117 – 50%. The Poles had an advantage in blocking – 13 against 8, as well as in serving – 7 aces against 7 is a tie, but Bulgaria compensated with much higher efficiency in attack.
| Indicator | Bulgaria | Poland |
|---|---|---|
| Attack points | 76 | 58 |
| Attack efficiency | 57% | 50% |
| Aces | 7 | 7 |
| Blocks | 8 | 13 |
The difference came mostly from the attack. Bulgaria scored 18 more points from attack, which compensated for Poland's five more blocks. In the tie-break, the national team was particularly effective - 12 successful attacks from 19 attempts, or 63%. Nikolov #1, Bardarov #2 among scorers Aleksandar Nikolov was by far the most productive volleyball player in the match with 36 points, and Denislav Bardarov remained second with 24. For Poland, Kamil Semeniuk scored the most - 22 points.
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksandar Nikolov | Bulgaria | 36 |
| Denislav Bardarov | Bulgaria | 24 |
| Kamil Semeniuk | Poland | 22 |
| Bartlomiej Boladz | Poland | 16 |
| Tomasz Fornal | Poland | 15 |
This is also the clearest illustration of the Bulgarian victory - the two most productive volleyball players in the entire match were Aleksandar Nikolov and Denislav Bardarov. Bulgaria - Poland 3:2 (20:25, 31:29, 25:23, 19:25, 20:18) Thus, Bulgaria finished the group stage with a huge victory over the reigning European champion and with a powerful emotional impulse before the eliminations. Poland remains in first place in Group B, while Bulgaria advances to the quarterfinals in Sofia as third.
