Bulgaria's U18 men's national team qualified for the final of the European Championship qualification tournament, which is being held in Podgorica. Miroslav Zhivkov's team defeated host Montenegro 3:0 (25:23, 25:22, 25:20) and took a decisive step towards direct qualification for the Old Continent championship in Italy.
In the battle for first place, the "young lions" will face Serbia, which later today eliminated Turkey 3:1. Only the tournament winner secures direct participation in Euro 2026, while the other teams will have to go through a second qualification tournament. Bulgaria dramatically lost to "the blues" 2:3 in the group stage, but everyone hopes the "young lions" will take revenge in the most important match.
Control from the first to the last point
The Bulgarians imposed their will early in the first set, taking a 5:1 lead and clearly showing their superiority. The lead quickly grew to 12:5, but the hosts managed to get back into the set and reduce the deficit to 12:15. Montenegro got closest at 20:21, but in the crucial rallies, our team showed composure and closed the set at 25:23.
The second set again saw Bulgarian dominance. Although the score was close, our national team dictated the pace throughout and did not allow the opponent to take the lead. Stable play in all elements brought new success – 25:22 and a 2:0 set lead.
In the third set, Montenegro briefly took the lead at the very beginning, but this proved to be the only moment the hosts had an advantage. Bulgaria quickly turned the tide, took full control of the situation on the court, and without unnecessary hesitation closed the match after 25:20, which came after an opponent's serving error.
Individual performances
Three Bulgarian players finished the match with 13 points each – Adrian Ganev, Nikola Gradinarov, and Antoan Veselinov, and it was the even distribution of points that proved key to the success. For Montenegro, Stanojevic scored an impressive 30 points but lacked the necessary support from his teammates, which proved decisive for the outcome of the match.
Bulgaria awaits the final clash with confidence and self-belief, after showing stability, character, and collective play – qualities that could prove decisive in the battle for direct qualification for the European Championship.
photo: cev.eu
