Finland qualified for the EuroVolley 2026 quarterfinals after an extremely dramatic 3:2 (22:25, 25:16, 22:25, 25:23, 15:13) victory over Greece in a Round of 16 match that lasted 146 minutes.
The Greeks took the lead twice in sets and were just two points away from a spot among the top eight. In the fourth set, they reached 23:22, but Finland responded with three consecutive points to tie the match at 2:2.
In the tie-break, the Finns took a 7:4 lead, but Greece fought back to 7:7. The drama continued until 13:13, when Finland won the next two rallies and closed out the match at 15:13.
Interestingly, Greece had a slight advantage in successful attacks – 64 against 60, but Finland compensated with a huge difference in blocks – 12 against only 5. The Finns also recorded 7 aces against 3 for their opponent, while points from opponent errors were equal – 30 each.
Luka Marttila and Nooa Marttila finished with 21 points each for the winners, and Joonas Jokela added 20. Jokela was Finland's strongest weapon on the block with 6 direct points. For Greece, Alexandros Markou scored 20 points, including all three of the team's aces, and Giorgos Voulkidis added 13.
Thus, Finland advances to the EuroVolley 2026 quarterfinals, while Greece concludes its participation after one of the most dramatic Round of 16 matches in the tournament. In the quarterfinals, the Finns will face the winner of the Round of 16 match between world champion Italy and Denmark, who play tonight in Turin. The quarterfinal is on September 23, also in Turin.