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There was almost nowhere for Serbia to go when the third set began.
The Netherlands had won the opening two sets, looked firmly in control and were closing in on what would have been a comfortable straight-sets victory.
Instead, Serbia turned the match upside down.
In the opening match of day five of Pool C in Tampere, Serbia came back from two sets down to defeat the Netherlands 3–2 (20:25, 23:25, 30:28, 25:12, 17:15) in one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament so far.
The Netherlands made the better start and immediately found ways through the Serbian block.
Serbia, meanwhile, struggled to find solutions against the Dutch defence at the net, collecting only one block point compared with three for their opponents in the opening set.
The Lange Mannen controlled the game from the service line as well, with two aces to none for Serbia, and established comfortable leads at 8–4 and 16–12. There was little sign of a comeback as the Netherlands closed out the opening set 25–20.
Serbia responded in the second, taking early leads at 7–5 and 10–8. But the advantage never became decisive. The Netherlands drew level at 16–16, with Tom Koops and Yannik Bak playing increasingly important roles as their side moved 20–17 ahead.
Serbia tried to stay within reach, but the Netherlands held their nerve to take the second set 25–23 and move within one set of victory.
Then came the turning point.
The third set developed into a remarkable point-for-point battle. The Netherlands relied on Korenblek and Maijs, while Serbia increasingly turned to Dražen Luburić. The Serbian opposite produced an extraordinary 14 points in the set alone, keeping his team alive when the Netherlands appeared ready to finish the match.
At 23–23, the momentum seemed to be shifting back towards the Dutch, but Serbia refused to let it go.
They levelled at 24–24 and the set continued deep into extra points, with neither team able to create the decisive separation. Finally, after a tense sequence that included a challenge and left the Netherlands frustrated by the outcome of the final rallies, Serbia took the set 30–28.
The match had changed completely.
Whatever clicked into place for Serbia during that third set was immediately visible in the fourth. Their attacks became more consistent, the block started to make a difference and the team played with an entirely different level of belief.
The Netherlands had no answer.
Serbia raced away to a 23–13 lead before closing the set 25–12, forcing the match into a deciding fifth set.
And the tie-break delivered exactly what the first four sets had promised.
Neither side could break free.
Luburić continued to led Serbia’s attack and lead his team through the pressure, with the score remaining locked in a battle that eventually reached 14–14.
One point for Serbia.
One for the Netherlands.
Then came the finish.
Serbia finally created the smallest possible advantage before Luburić stepped up once again to deliver the final blow. His powerful attack secured the 17–15 win and completed a comeback that had looked almost impossible an hour earlier.
“I think I transformed all the pressure for the spikes I had to do during the match into fun. We wanted so bad this win and I am happy we won, even if it was really, really hard,” said Luburić after the match, author of as many as 38 points through 63% in attack and 3 aces.
The Netherlands were left to reflect on how close they had come to ending the contest in three sets, but Siebe Korenblek preferred to focus on the overall performance: “The first two sets we played in an amazing way. In the fifth we were still together, we lost just for minor mistakes, so I am proud of all the group anyway.”
For Serbia, however, those “minor mistakes” were precisely the opening they needed.
Two sets down.
A 30–28 escape.
A 25–12 statement.
And finally a 17–15 finish.
A match that seemed to belong to the Netherlands became Serbia’s night in Tampere!
MORE TO FOLLOW
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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Monday, September 14, 2026
POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovakia – Czech Republic
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Greece
🏐| 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) | Ukraine – Portugal 3-0 (25:18, 25:18, 25:19)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Israel 3-1 (23:25, 25:22, 25:15, 25:20)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Ukraine 12
2. Poland 9
3. Bulgaria 9
4. Israel 2
5. Portugal 1
6. North Macedonia 0
👉🏼POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – The Netherlands 3-2 (20:25, 23:25, 30:28, 25:15, 17:15)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Belgium 1-3 (17:25, 25:18, 21:25, 14:25)
🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 8
2. Belgium 7
3. Denmark 6
4. Serbia 5
5. Netherlands 0
6. Estonia 0
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Germany – Switzerland 3-1 (25:19, 25:17, 22:25, 25:21)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Romania – Türkiye 3-1 (25:19, 25:21, 20:25, 25:18)
🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Germany 11
2. France 9
3. Romania 7
4. Latvia 3
5. Türkiye 3
6. Switzerland 0
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NEXT GAMES: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Greece – Sweden
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Italy
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | North Macedonia – Portugal
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Ukraine
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Denmark
• 20.00 (Local Time) | The Netherlands – Finland
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Latvia – Switzerland
• 20.00 (Local Time) | France – Germany
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