VNL 2026: third win in as many games in Slovenia for Ukraine! Italy down Brazil

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Article wrote by Danijel from Ljubljana for Volleytimes, please respect his job.

Third day of second week of Volleyball Nations League 2026 has been completed today in three European cities: Gliwice (Poland), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Orléans (France).

In one of the day’s headline clashes, after losing their first two matches in Ljubljana, world champions Italy celebrated their first victory in the Slovenian capital on Friday.
Playing for the third time in as many days, the Europeans overcame Brazil 3-1 (25:19, 25:23, 22:25, 25:23), leaving the losses to Bulgaria and Ukraine behind them.
The winners, who had won three out of four matches in the opening week in Ottawa, now have four wins and three defeats in their VNL path, with 13 points in the standings, while Brazil have 11 points with four wins and two losses.
Outside hitter Mattia Bottolo was the great protagonist in Italy’s comebacks in both the second and fourth sets, recording 20 points including two aces and one block, while opposite Alessandro Bovolenta also contributed with 19 points, three blocks and two aces.

“After two tough losses, it was very important for us to win today,” he said. “Matches against Brazil are always very competitive, so this was a very important result for us. It really means a lot, and the entire team is happy.”

📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

Brazil lost both their matches in Ljubljana, having fallen to Ukraine on Wednesday! The most prolific player was team captain and outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli, who tallied 14-point including two blocks and one ace, two more of his teammate middle blocker Judson Nunes and opposite Bryan Alves.

“We can’t accept the fact that we lost two sets in which we had significant leads,” Lucarelli stated after the game. “We were playing well and couldn’t have lost our focus in the way we did. Our performance today was better than against Ukraine, but we made mistakes in moments we couldn’t.”

Brazil will continue to pursue their first victory in Ljubljana on Saturday, when they play against the hosts Slovenia at 20:30 local time.

Earlier, Ukraine celebrater third win in as many games celebrating a 3-1 (25:19, 25:23, 18:25, 25:23) success against Canada. After winning first two sets, the rivals trier to re-open the game, but a resilient Ukraine managed to close the contest in four sets to climb to second place in the standings with 16 points, the same of Japan, the only team remaining undefeated in the tournament despite a dramatic tie break win against Iran in Orléans.

📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

MORE TO FOLLOW

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🏐| FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2026 | Games of the day

— Friday | June 26, 2026—

| Pool 5 – Week 2 – Gliwice 🇵🇱
• 16.30 (Local Time) | China – Argentina 0-3 (22:25, 19:25, 22:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Germany 1-3 (22:25, 25:19, 23:25, 19:25)

👉🏼 Pool 6 – Week 2 – Ljubljana 🇸🇮
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Canada 3-1 (25:19, 25:23, 18:25, 25:23)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Brazil – Italy 1-3 (19:25, 23:25, 25:22, 23:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

| Pool 4 – Week 2 – Orléans 🇫🇷
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Iran – Japan 2-3 (19:25, 19:25, 25:20, 25:23, 12:15)
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Serbia – Cuba

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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Japan 16
2. Ukraine 16
3. USA 15
4. Italy 13
5. Serbia 12
6. Slovenia 11
7. Brazil 11
8. Poland 11
9. Türkiye 9
10. Bulgaria 9
11. Germany 9
12. Belgium 9
13. France 6
14. Argentina 6
15. Canada 6
16. Iran 6
17. China 4
18. Cuba 2

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🏐| NEXT GAMES

— Saturday | June 27, 2026—

| Pool 6 – Week 2 – Ljubljana 🇸🇮
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Canada
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Brazil

| Pool 4 – Week 2 – Orléans 🇫🇷
• 17.00 (Local Time) | USA – Japan
• 20.30 (Local Time) | France – Serbia

| Pool 5 – Week 2 – Gliwice 🇵🇱
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Germany
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Argentina

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