Ukraine keep rolling as Portugal struggle to contain Plotnytskyi. Bulgaria down a combative Israel who won first set against the hosts in history!

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Ukraine continue to make their mark at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men.
Raul Lozano’s side maintained their unbeaten record in Pool B on Monday, producing another convincing performance to defeat Portugal in straight sets (25:18, 25:18, 25:19) and strengthen their position among the group’s leading teams.

Portugal actually made the brighter start, opening the match with a 6–3 advantage, but the response from Ukraine was immediate.
With Oleh Plotnytskyi behind the service line, they levelled at 6–6 before their attacking game began to exploit gaps in the Portuguese middle. Ukraine moved ahead at 10–9 and, despite Portugal staying within touching distance at 14–11 and 15–14, the Ukrainians found another gear when it mattered most, closing out the opening set 25–18.
The numbers underlined just how efficiently Ukraine converted their opportunities. They out-attacked Portugal 59% to 40% and held a 4–1 advantage in aces. Portugal did have the edge at the net with three blocks to Ukraine’s one, but it was not enough to compensate for the difference in attack and serving.
The second set followed a similar pattern, although Ukraine established control much earlier. They raced to 5–1 and then 8–3, keeping Portugal under constant pressure from the service line and eventually opening a 20–14 lead.
Portugal continued to fight, with João José’s team refusing to let extended rallies slip away without a battle. But Ukraine were consistently more precise when the crucial points arrived, while a series of Portuguese errors made their task even more difficult.
The most striking statistic of the set came in reception. Ukraine produced an extraordinary 75% positive reception, compared with just 26% for Portugal. That stability gave the Ukrainians the platform to attack at 57%, against Portugal’s 50%, while Ukraine added two more aces and Portugal failed to score from the service line.
Portugal finally managed to make the third set a genuine contest. The teams remained level at 12–12 before Ukraine created the decisive two-point gap. From there, they kept their composure and completed another straight-sets victory.

Across the match, the difference was again visible in the fundamental numbers. Ukraine finished with a 59% attacking efficiency against Portugal’s 45%, while their positive reception stood at 59% compared with 29% for their opponents. The service battle was even more emphatic: Ukraine collected eight aces to Portugal’s two.

At the centre of it all was captain Oleh Plotnytskyi. The Ukrainian star delivered another influential performance, finishing as the match’s top scorer with 19 points to his name and helping his team maintain their perfect start.
For Ukraine, the challenge now is to preserve the same level as the tournament moves deeper into the group stage. For Portugal, there were at least signs of the fighting spirit that João José wants from a team built around a new generation.

“I don’t believe there is anything we need to improve in our game. We just need to keep playing like we did up to this point and we will achieve our goals,” said Ukraine’s Dmytro Yanchuk.

Portugal’s Lourenço Martins acknowledged the quality of the opposition while looking ahead to what his young team can still build: “We play against really strong teams. We have a new generation of players in our team. I think we can improve our level a bit but it’s not easy against such strong opponents. We just need to enjoy a little bit on the court and be positive all the time and hope for the best.”

Later Bulgaria had to work for it, but eventually turned the match around to defeat Israel 3-1 (23:25, 25:22, 25:15, 25:20)
The hosts started the opening set with two quick blocks to move 6–4 ahead, but Israel stayed firmly in the contest and edged in front at 13–12. Bulgaria responded by building a 22–18 lead, seemingly putting themselves in control, only for a series of late unforced errors to open the door for a remarkable Israeli comeback.
Bulgaria managed to keep themselves alive, with Denislav Bardarov reducing the gap to 23–22, but Israel’s disciplined defence held firm and the visitors completed the turnaround to take the set 25–23.
The statistics explained much of Israel’s success. They attacked at an impressive 65%, compared with Bulgaria’s 54%. Bulgaria did dominate at the net, producing three blocks to Israel’s zero, but nine unforced errors — three more than their opponents — proved costly at the crucial moments.

The second set brought an entirely different Bulgaria.

Early aces from Iliya Petkov and Aleksandar Nikolov helped the hosts race to a 5–1 lead and forced Israel into an early timeout. But Israel immediately fought back, levelling at 6–6 and turning the set into a genuine battle.
The two sides traded long rallies and momentum swings, remaining locked together at 14–14 and later 20–20. The atmosphere became increasingly tense as the set entered its final stages, with Aleksandar Nikolov taking responsibility for Bulgaria and pushing the hosts ahead 22–20.
Then came one of the most heated moments of the match.
A point was initially awarded to Bulgaria, prompting a strong reaction from the Israeli side. The video challenge was requested, and the replay showed a clear touch of the floor, meaning the decision was correctly overturned and the point reassigned to Israel. The intervention added even more tension to an already nervous finish.
Bulgaria nevertheless kept their composure. Nikolov responded with a crucial ace at 23–20 and the hosts eventually closed out the set 25–22 to level the match.
This time, the numbers were firmly in Bulgaria’s favour. Their attacking efficiency reached 54%, while Israel dropped to 35%. Bulgaria also won the service battle 4–2 in aces, with both teams recording two kill blocks.

The momentum had shifted, and the third set demonstrated just how decisively.
Bulgaria immediately established control at 14–8, then extended the advantage to 17–9 and 18–10. Israel struggled to find answers as the hosts controlled virtually every aspect of the game. Simeon Nikolov added an ace for 19–10 before Bulgaria cruised to a 25–15 finish, moving ahead 2–1.
It was an extraordinary attacking display from the hosts: 73% attacking efficiency against Israel’s 39%. Bulgaria also committed only three own errors in the set, while Israel handed over ten points through unforced mistakes.
There was no way back for Israel in the fourth.
Bulgaria opened with leads of 4–1, 7–3 and 12–6, maintaining relentless pressure and refusing to allow the visitors back into the contest. The hosts eventually closed the set 25–20 to complete the 3–1 comeback.

The final statistics showed the extent of Bulgaria’s control once the match turned. They finished with a 10–3 advantage in blocks, attacked at 59% compared with Israel’s 45%, and produced a commanding 49% to 27% edge in positive reception.
Three players finished with 18 points apiece. Denislav Bardarov led Bulgaria while attacking at 62%, Aleksandar Nikolov also contributed 18 with points to his name at 52% efficiency, while Israel’s Mark Rura matched them on the scoreboard and finished his impressive performance with 57% attacking efficiency.

For Israel, however, the result could not completely overshadow what had been a memorable performance against the reigning vice world champions: “We are super happy with our performance today, we didn’t even expect to win a set. Winning a set against the vice world champion is amazing and I am super happy and proud of us! And even though we were leading at the beginning, we never put our heads down, we were fighting for every point. The score at the end was not in our favour, but still I am super happy,” said opposite Mark Rura.

But not only as, winning first set, Israel also won first set in history against Bulgaria!

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Monday, September 14, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovakia – Czech Republic 0-3 (21:25, 14:25, 20:25)
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Greece 1-3 (18:25, 25:19, 23:25, 19:25)

🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 9
2. Czech Republic 8
3. Slovenia 6
4. Greece 3
5. Sweden 1
6. Slovakia 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
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Romania – Türkiye

🏐| 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

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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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