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Poland began the defence of their CEV Enel EuroVolley Men title in emphatic fashion, sweeping Portugal 3-0 (25:12, 25:18, 25:20) in Pool B in Sofia.
The reigning champions were in control from the very first points, combining a powerful attack with disciplined play to leave Portugal with very little room to breathe.
The difference was particularly evident in the opening set: Poland attacked at 56%, compared with 35% for Portugal, and quickly turned an 8-6 advantage into 10-6, forcing an early timeout. With Wilfredo León leading the Polish offence, Portugal struggled to contain the variety of their opponents’ attack. The gap continued to grow, reaching 15-8 and then 21-11, while Portugal’s 10 unforced errors — including several costly service mistakes — made any comeback impossible. Poland, by contrast, conceded only four errors and closed the set with authority.
Portugal responded with a much stronger start to the second. The two teams remained level at 8-8 before the Portuguese moved ahead 12-11, forcing Poland into a timeout of their own. The reaction was immediate: Poland regained the lead at 15-13 and gradually took control again. Portugal’s blocking was effective, producing a 3-1 advantage at the net in the set, but their lack of consistency hurt them at the most important moments. Once again, Portugal committed 10 unforced errors, allowing Poland to move from 21-17 towards another comfortable set victory.
There was no change in the overall picture in the third. Portugal reduced their errors to seven and showed greater discipline, but Poland remained superior in the key areas. The European champions finished with a 7-5 blocking advantage in the set and attacked at 55%, while also maintaining the edge in positive reception. Bartłomiej Bołądź took responsibility in the final stages and finished as Poland’s top scorer in the set with nine points, completing a convincing opening victory.
“We are glad that we won-that was our goal. We were focused from the very beginning of the game and maintained it throughout. As team captain, I’m proud of what we achieved, and we are fully focused on the next steps. Our goals are very high, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. Our focus is simply on winning the next game against Israel and taking every necessary step to reach the top,” said Aleksander Sliwka, Captain of Poland
“It was very tough. But on the positive side, it was a good benchmark for us to see where our level is and where we can improve. We started all the sets well, but towards the end, when they put us under pressure, we broke down a bit too easily. We will take the same approach into the match against Bulgaria. Our mindset remains unchanged. We will play to win, focus on the victory, and work on improving our game for the upcoming matches that will be closer to our level,” added Alexandre Ferreira, Captain of Portugal
Ukraine, meanwhile, had to work considerably harder for their opening victory. Making their eighth appearance at the CEV Enel EuroVolley Men, they defeated Israel 3-1 (25:22, 25:19, 22:25, 25:19), showing the resilience needed to recover from a difficult third set and finish the match strongly.
Israel made the brighter start, racing to leads of 6-2 and 9-4, but Ukraine patiently worked their way back into the contest. At 13-13, the momentum had shifted, and neither side managed to establish a clear advantage until 21-21. Ukraine then produced the decisive push, moving to 23-21 before taking the opening set. Their reception was a major factor in the comeback, with Ukraine recording an impressive 81% positive reception compared with Israel’s 25%.
The second set was another closely fought affair. Ukraine led 11-9 before Israel remained within touching distance at 16-17 and 18-19. Israel actually produced the better attacking numbers in the set, reaching 54% compared with Ukraine’s 42%, but Ukraine’s stability in reception once again made the difference. They finished the set with 55% positive reception against Israel’s 33% and moved within one set of victory.
Israel refused to surrender and, after early ties at 4-4, 5-5 and 7-7, they found a breakthrough at 10-8 behind increasingly aggressive serving. Ukraine struggled to regain control and Israel took advantage, attacking at 53% compared with Ukraine’s 41%. The result was a deserved 25-22 third-set win and a renewed sense of belief, despite the injury of opposite Mark Rura, forced to leave the court in the last decisive points.
The fourth set, however, belonged to Ukraine. They immediately re-established control and led for almost the entire frame, eventually closing out the 3-1 victory. The decisive difference came at the net and from the service line: Ukraine finished with 12 blocks to Israel’s five and five aces to Israel’s two. Israel actually had the slightly higher overall attacking percentage, 50% to 47%, but Ukraine’s physical presence at the net and greater control of the error count proved decisive.
Dmytro Yanchuk led the winners with 18 points as Ukraine secured an important opening victory and moved forward with confidence in Sofia, while the top scorer of the match was Shay Liberman, who left the court with 23 points to his name through 53% in attack, 1 ace and 1 block.
“We’re happy because we won. Okay, we didn’t win 3-0, but 3-1 is still a good result. Sometimes we let too many mistakes, sometimes several in a row. But after the third set, we tried to stay focused. We talked about what we needed to change and then played our game. Every day we analyse the team we are going to play against. We need to check them, talk with the coach, and prepare our tactics. It doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the court. We just need to play our Volleyball“, said Ukraine’s middle blocker Yurii Semeniuk at the end of the match.
“It was a very tough game for us. We are happy with our performance. I think it was better in the first part of the match. We just hope we will be better in the next game and we will keep our head high for the next one. Our main goal at the moment is to reach the next phase. We are starting each game with trust in ourselves and we really want to get around the 1/8’s,” added Shay Liberman, top scorer of the match.
Two very different victories therefore opened the EuroVolley campaign in Sofia: Poland immediately underlined why they are the team everyone wants to dethrone, while Ukraine showed the fighting spirit required to go deep into a tournament where every set can become crucial.
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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Thursday, September 10, 2026
POOL A📍Arena Piazza del Plebiscito Naples
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Sweden 3-0 (25:22, 25:21, 25:17)
🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 3
2. Slovakia 0
3. Greece 0
4. Slovenia 0
5. Czech Republic 0
6. Sweden 0
👉🏼POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Portugal 3-0 (25:12, 25:18, 25:20)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Israel – Ukraine 1-3 (22:25, 19:25, 25:22, 19:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Bulgaria 3
2. Poland 3
3. Ukraine 3
4. Israel 0
5. Portugal 0
6. North Macedonia 0
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Denmark 3-0 (25:22, 25:17, 25:20)
🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 3
2. Serbia 0
3. Belgium 0
4. Netherlands 0
5. Estonia 0
6. Denmark 0
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj-Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | France – Switzerland 3-0 (25:23, 31:29, 25:21)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Germany 1-3 (25:23, 22:25, 21:25, 19:25)
🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. France 3
2. Germany 3
3. Latvia 3
4. Romania 0
5. Türkiye 0
6. Switzerland 0
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NEXT GAMES: Friday, September 11, 2026
POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
16.00 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Greece
21.00 (Local Time) | Slovakia – Slovenia
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
16.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – North Macedonia
19.00 (Local Time) | Portugal – Bulgaria
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
17.00 (Local Time) | The Netherlands – Belgium
20.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – Estonia
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
17.00 (Local Time) | Germany – Latvia
20.00 (Local Time) | Switzerland – Romania
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👀|QUICK LINKS
• EuroVolley 2026 – Calendar
• EuroVolley 2026 – All News
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