A great Israel stun Portugal in five-set thriller, Poland keep rolling in Sofia

If you wish to publish an Italian translation of this article, any of our other articles, or ANY PART OF THEM, please cite the original source. PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL!

Israel celebrated the first win of CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 in Sofia, coming from behind twice to defeat Portugal 3–2 (19:25, 25:20, 20:25, 25:22, 15:7) in a dramatic Pool B encounter at Arena 8888 Sofia.
With qualification for the knockout stage already becoming a major consideration in the group, Israel showed remarkable resilience after falling behind twice.
Itamar Stein’s side eventually took control of the deciding set, while Portugal’s growing number of unforced errors opened the door for a comeback that could prove extremely valuable in the race for the next round.

Portugal looked in command from the opening points.
After a balanced start, the Portuguese side built a 14–8 advantage and continued to apply pressure with strong defence and efficient attacking. Kelton Semedo and Alexandre Ferreira each contributed six points in the opening set, as Portugal eventually established a conspicuous 23–14 lead. Israel tried to fight back late, but Portugal held firm to take the first set 25–19.
The response from Israel was immediate: the second set remained close through 12–12 before Stein’s team began to win the longer rallies and establish a 17–15 advantage. Portugal head coach João José called a timeout as Israel continued to grow in confidence, eventually taking the set 25–20 to level the match.
Portugal regained the initiative in the third. Their blocking presence became increasingly important, while Filip Cvetičanin and Lourenço Martins helped them maintain control through the middle of the set. Israel remained within touching distance, but Portugal held on to win 25–20 and move one set away from victory.
Israel refused to let the match slip away. With powerful serving, Portuguese reception began to show signs of weakness in the fourth, allowing Israel to turn a 6–7 deficit into a 10–7 lead. Portugal continued to fight, but Israel maintained its composure through the decisive stages and forced a tie-break with a 25–22 win.
The fifth set then belonged entirely to Israel, who immediately opened a 4–1 lead and never allowed Portugal to recover. As the Portuguese side struggled with unforced errors, Israel kept applying pressure and raced to a 15–7 finish, completing one of the biggest comebacks of the tournament so far.

Portugal actually held the statistical advantage in several areas, finishing with a slightly better attacking efficiency (51% to 47%), more kill blocks (10–5) and a higher positive reception percentage (60% to 45%).
But the difference came in the errors: Portugal conceded 36 points through errors across the five sets, compared with 29 for Israel, who showed a great resilience.
Opposite Mark Rura led all scorers with 23 points to his name, while Shay Liberman was right behind him with 21. For Portugal, Alexandre Ferreira finished with 20 points.

“I think we played well today. We should have been a bit more consistent with our first serve, but overall, it was a strong performance. They dug a lot of balls, served exceptionally well, and put us under heavy pressure that we couldn’t handle. Otherwise, it was a very tight, well-fought match, and we need to walk away from this one with our heads held high,” said Portugal’s Kelton Semedo.

Israel’s Viacheslav Batchkala highlighted the quality available to Stein’s side, while already looking ahead to the demanding schedule: “We have exceptional players like Iliya Goldrin, Mark Rura, and Shay Liberman. They are all spectacular, and having players of that caliber on your side certainly puts victory within reach. I expect the coach will rotate the squad tomorrow against Bulgaria to give us some rest, as our key match is against North Macedonia on Tuesday. That is our main target — to enter that game fully rested.”

While Israel celebrated a comeback that could have a major impact on the Pool B standings, Poland continued their perfect start to the tournament.
The reigning European champions easily defeated North Macedonia 3–0 (25:19, 25:16, 25:13), collecting another straight-set victory and remaining the only team in Sofia yet to lose a set.

North Macedonia started with plenty of energy and even led 4–1 and 9–7, but Poland gradually took control. The Macedonians stayed close through 12–12 and 16–15, before Poland’s greater efficiency began to tell. Pressure from the service line, including an ace from Bartłomiej Lemański, helped the European champions pull away and close the opening set 25–19.
Poland then stepped up another level and and never looked back. After North Macedonia again made a bright start, Nikola Grbić’s side responded with a decisive run that turned a 9–7 deficit into a 15–10 lead. From there, Poland controlled the rhythm and moved to a 20–13 advantage before taking the second set 25–16.
Grbić used the third set to rotate several players, but Poland’s level did not drop, as they continued to dominate both at the net and from the service line, completing the sweep 25–13.

The numbers reflected Poland’s superiority: 61% attacking efficiency against 34%, 12 blocks to four, 64% positive reception compared with 34%, and a 4–0 advantage in aces.
Bartłomiej Bołądź led Poland with 13 points to his name.

“There are always areas where we can improve. We can fine-tune certain details and become an even stronger team. However, the priority today was securing the win. We won 3–0, and we are extremely pleased with both the result and our overall performance. Now, we just need to maintain this work ethic and prepare for the next match,” he said.

For North Macedonia, Stojan Iliev acknowledged the difficulty of facing the reigning European champions while already looking towards the matches that could determine their tournament: “It was a tough match. They are the European champions, and while I think we played well, it wasn’t enough to push for a better result today. Now, our full focus shifts to our upcoming matches against Portugal and Israel, where we see our main opportunities. We definitely need to sharpen our pass, but Portugal and Israel don’t possess the same level of lethal service pressure, so I’m confident we’ll adapt.”

After another perfect day in Sofia, Poland remain firmly at the top of Pool B. Behind them, however, Israel’s dramatic victory over Portugal has suddenly made the battle for the knockout stages considerably more interesting.

__________________

🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Sunday, September 13, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Sweden 3-0 (25:16, 25:21, 25:12)
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Slovakia 3-1 (25:17, 25:27, 25:10, 25:19)

🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 9
2. Slovenia 6
3. Czech Republic 5
4. Sweden 1
5. Slovakia 0
6. Greece 0

👉🏼POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Portugal – Israel 2-3 (25:19, 20:25, 25:20, 22:25, 7:15)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | North Macedonia – Poland 0-3 (19:25, 16:25, 13:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Poland 9
2. Ukraine 9
3. Bulgaria 6
4. Israel 2
5. Portugal 1
6. North Macedonia 0

POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 15.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Denmark 0-3 (26:28, 22:25, 16:25)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Serbia 3-0 (25:19, 25:21, 25:23)

🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 8
2. Denmark 6
3. Belgium 4
4. Serbia 3
5. Netherlands 0
6. Estonia 0

POOL D📍BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Switzerland – Türkiye 0-3 (23:25, 19:25, 19:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Latvia – France 1-3 (12:25, 16:25, 25:22, 13:25)

🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. France 9
2. Germany 8
3. Romania 4
4. Türkiye 3
5. Latvia 3
6. Switzerland 0

__________________

NEXT GAMES: Monday, September 14, 2026

Monday, September 14, 2026
POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovakia – Czech Republic
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Greece
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Portugal
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Israel
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – The Netherlands
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Belgium
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Germany – Switzerland
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Romania – Türkiye