The Polish media painfully accepted their national team's first loss at EuroVolley 2026, but after the incredible3:2 (20:25, 31:29, 25:23, 19:25, 20:18)for Bulgaria, one assessment stands out – our national team played a very strong match, and the atmosphere in "Arena 8888 Sofia" gave additional energy to Gianlorenzo Blengini's team.
Poland arrived for their last match in Group B with four 3:0 victories and without losing a single set. The streak ended after more than two hours of battle, in which Bulgaria twice came back from a significant deficit and ultimately won the tie-break 20:18.
Fornal: The hall carried them
One of Poland's leaders, Tomasz Fornal, gave credit to the Bulgarian team after the match.
"Congratulations to them. They played very well in this match. The hall carried them," said the Polish outside hitter.
Fornal also highlighted the atmosphere in "Arena 8888", describing it as fantastic. According to him, Bulgaria received huge support from the stands, and he himself was impressed by the conditions in which the match was played.
The Polish national also pointed out one of his team's main problems – Poland had a lead several times but failed to maintain it.
Poland led, Bulgaria came back
This became one of the main topics in the Polish analyses of the match.
After 25:20 in the first set, Poland led 7:2 in the second and seemed close to establishing full control over the match. However, Bulgaria came back, with Aleksandar Nikolov and Denislav Bardarov inflicting major damage on the Polish reception and block. The two recorded a total of 20 points in the second set alone, which our national team snatched 31:29.
A similar scenario was repeated in the third set. Poland had an advantage, but Bulgaria again managed to turn the tide and reach 25:23 and 2:1.
The Poles responded with a decisive 25:19 in the fourth set, but in the tie-break, Bulgaria again took the initiative – 3:0, 8:4, and 10:5. Poland came back to 13:13 and even had a chance to close the match, but our national team held on in overtime and won 20:18.
Aleksandar Nikolov at the center of Polish analyses
Aleksandar Nikolov's performance is naturally among the main highlights in the Polish materials. The Bulgarian outside hitter finished with an incredible36 points, and Denislav Bardarov added another24.
Nikolov practically remained unstoppable in the tie-break. At 8:4, it was his attack that gave Bulgaria a significant lead, and then he also recorded an ace for 9:4. In the last rally, Nikolov was again at the center of events – his block against Kamil Semeniuk brought 20:18 and Bulgaria's victory.
The first crack in Poland's perfect tournament
Before the match with Bulgaria, the Poles had a practically flawless record – four matches, four wins and12:0 sets. Even before the match, first place in the group was guaranteed, but Nikola Grbić warned that precisely this could prove dangerous for his team's concentration.
The Polish coach did not want his volleyball players to treat the match as an insignificant one and insisted on maintaining the level from previous encounters. His fears were confirmed – Bulgaria turned out to be the first opponent in the tournament who not only took a set from the European champions but also defeated them.