Greece take another giant step towards the EuroVolley playoffs. Italy down Czechia in four sets

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Greece are making the race for the CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men playoffs increasingly interesting: less than 24 hours after producing one of the tournament’s biggest surprises by defeating Slovenia, they added another important victory, overcoming Sweden 3–1 (25:23, 25:21, 17:25, 25:20) to move within touching distance of the knockout stage.
It was a victory built on resilience. Sweden repeatedly found ways to put Greece under pressure, particularly through their blocking and defensive work, but the Greeks had an answer whenever the match threatened to turn in the other direction.
Greece started the opening set with a 7–4 advantage, only for Sweden to establish themselves at the net. Five Swedish blocks kept the set finely balanced, with Patrik Johansson producing the block that put his team 11–10 ahead. Greece responded by moving back in front at 16–14, but Sweden stayed within striking distance all the way to the finish.
Hampus Ekstrand and Jakob Ekman kept the Swedish attack alive, while Dimitrios Mouchlias was already making his presence felt for Greece with eight points in the set. Sweden eventually reached set point, but Greece survived the pressure and closed the opener 25–23.
The second was something similar. Axel Enlund was particularly effective for Sweden, scoring six points, while Johansson added three as the Scandinavians refused to allow Greece to escape.
The turning point came when Lampros Pitakoudis moved to the service line. His pressure helped Greece build a decisive 17–13 lead, with Mouchlias and Theodoros Voulkidis providing the attacking firepower. Sweden fought back to 21–20 and once again threatened to change the momentum through their block, but Greece remained composed. Mouchlias and Alexandros Raptis produced the crucial plays before Raptis finished the set with a decisive attack for 25–21.
Two sets down, Sweden needed a response — and found one.
Led by captain Jacob Link, they opened the third set 5–3 and extended the advantage to 7–4 behind Johansson’s service pressure. Greece tried to chase, with Spyridon Chandrinos bringing them back to 12–11 with a block on Enlund, but Sweden quickly restored control.
The third set produced some of the best rallies of the match, with both teams defending aggressively. Jakob Ekman and Enlund contributed five points each, while Sweden’s solid reception allowed setter Alfred Brink to distribute the attack effectively. Johansson added five points of his own and delivered the final block as Sweden closed the set 25–17.
The momentum, however, did not last, and Greece responded immediately in the fourth. After an even opening they created the first meaningful gap at 12–10. Sweden again turned the score around, with Enlund producing an extraordinary 10-point set, but Greece had another difference-maker waiting on the service line.
Angelos Markou changed the game: his service run, including two aces, helped Greece move from a tight contest to a 19–16 lead. From there, the Hellenic side kept Sweden at arm’s length, with Markou contributing eight points in the set and Raptis eventually delivering the attack that sealed the match 25–20.

Mouchlias finished as Greece’s leading scorer with 20 points, 52% in attack and two blocks. Raptis added 15, while Pitakoudis contributed 12. Sweden’s Axel Enlund was the match’s top scorer with 24 points including four blocks.
For Greece, the victory had an additional meaning. Earlier this summer, Sweden had defeated them in the European League and prevented them from reaching the Final Four. This time, Greece had the opportunity to settle the score — and did exactly that.

“We knew we had to fight hard. Sweden are a good team and they have good players, but I think we are better. We really wanted to win this one because earlier this summer we lost to them and failed to qualify for the EuroLeague Final Four. We knew we had to win, and we were going to win this for ourselves. It’s over, we are very happy and we are looking forward to the next match against Slovakia,” said Mouchlias.

For Sweden, the defeat was far more painful. Their chances of reaching the knockout stage are now gone, turning what had been a battle for survival into the end of their EuroVolley campaign.

“We are very disappointed. We knew this game was going to be a battle. We knew Greece had a very high level because they beat Slovenia yesterday, and we had seen them play. We also played them earlier this year, and it was a tough battle at that time as well, so this is a really, really tough loss for us. We knew it was going to be a do-or-die game today. So, of course, we are disappointed with our performance and that we cannot qualify for the playoffs now. It’s a tough day for us,” said Joel Andersson.

For Greece, meanwhile, the equation is becoming increasingly simple: two major victories in two days, and the knockout stage is now firmly within reach.
And with last-placed Slovakia still to come, the Hellenic side suddenly have much more than just momentum on their side.

The only two unbeaten teams in Pool A met in Modena with Italy’s perfect record on the line, and Czechia immediately showed they had no intention of making life easy for the hosts.
The Czechs made the stronger start, moving from 7–5 to 11–8 behind Patrik Indra, who was virtually unstoppable in the opening set. Italy gradually found their rhythm through Mattia Bottolo and Yuri Romanò, and an ace from Giovanni Sanguinetti gave the hosts their first lead at 13–12.
Czechia responded immediately. Indra continued to punish the Italian defence, scoring seven points in the set at an extraordinary 88% success rate, while Lukáš Vašina added five. The home side fell 18–15 behind and then 21–16, leaving themselves with too much ground to recover. Italy saved two set points, one with an ace from Romanò, but the opposite then served long on the next rally as Czechia took the opening set 25–23.
The numbers reflected Czechia’s dominance: the hosts attacked at an outstanding 80% in the first set!

And then…collapsed, starting to collect several bad errors.
Italy, pushing from the service line, particularly from Sanguinetti and Romanò, earned an early 9–2 advantage. Romanò was the man of the match, scoring eight points in the set, including five kills at 100% efficiency, while Daniele Lavia added five.
Czechia struggled to respond as Italy took control of the rallies and stretched the lead to 18–9. Lavia eventually finished the set with the final spike, as Italy levelled the match 25–16.
The momentum stayed with Italy in the third set. The hosts opened 8–4 and then extended their advantage to 11–5, with Lavia causing further problems from the service line. He scored six points in the set, including two aces.
Czechia refused to surrender. Marek Šotola came on for Indra, while Vašina took responsibility in attack and helped the visitors gradually close the gap. From 14–13, the set became a battle again, but Italy produced the decisive response.
Two consecutive aces from Bottolo, who scored seven points in the set, restored a four-point cushion at 22–18. Romanò then served the final ace as Italy completed the comeback with a 25–20 third set.
Czechia continued to fight in the fourth, but Italy maintained control. Bottolo and Lavia helped the hosts move 7–4 ahead, only for the visitors to close the gap to 15–14.
With almost 4,500 spectators at the Palapanini pushing Italy through every rally, the match remained tight until 20–19. Then came the decisive sequence: Simone Giannelli went to the service line and helped Italy produce a five-point run, taking them to 24–19.
Bottolo delivered the final blow, closing the set 25–20 and completing Italy’s fourth consecutive victory.

Romanò finished as the match’s top scorer with 24 points though 68% in attack, five aces and two blocks. Bottolo added 22 points, through 72% and four aces. For Czechia, Indra and Vašina both finished with 12 points.
The result leaves Italy as the only unbeaten team in Pool A, while Czechia suffer their first defeat of the tournament after a performance that showed once again why they belong among the contenders for the knockout stage.

“We had to care more about our level of volleyball because you can suffer against anyone now. We had to level up, and we did it. It was a good match for us to get that feedback and improve the situation during the match. I think we did it well – we really levelled up throughout the entire match, especially in the third and fourth sets when Czechia came back with nothing to lose, trying to push us. But we managed to keep them down.
The Italian crowd pushed our team from the national anthem through every situation, and we can absolutely be proud of this crowd. It’s wonderful to play EuroVolley in our home country,” said Mattia Bottolo after the game.

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Tuesday, September 15, 2026

👉🏼POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Greece – Sweden 3-1 (25:23, 25:21, 17:25, 25:20)
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Italy 1-3 (25:23, 16:25, 20:25, 20:25)

🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 12
2. Czech Republic 8
3. Slovenia 6
4. Greece 6
5. Sweden 1
6. Slovakia 0

POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | North Macedonia – Portugal 0-3 (13:25, 20:25, 20:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Ukraine 3-0 (25:20, 25:13, 25:22)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Poland 12
2. Ukraine 12
3. Bulgaria 9
4. Portugal 4
5. Israel 2
6. North Macedonia 0

POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Denmark 3-1 (19:25, 25:20, 25:19, 25:23)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | The Netherlands – Finland 2–3 (25:18, 21:25, 26:24, 20:25, 11:15)

🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 10
2. Belgium 10
3. Denmark 6
4. Serbia 5
5. Netherlands 2
6. Estonia 0

POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Latvia – Switzerland 1-3 (22:25, 19:25, 25:16, 22:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | France – Germany 3-0 (25:21, 25:17, 25:19)

🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. France 12
2. Germany 11
3. Romania 7
4. Türkiye 3
5. Latvia 3
6. Switzerland 3

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NEXT GAMES: Wednesday, September 16, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Sweden – Slovakia
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Slovenia
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Israel – North Macedonia
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Bulgaria
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Denmark – Serbia
• 20.00 (Local Time) | The Netherlands – Estonia
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Latvia
• 20.00 (Local Time) | France – Romania

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• EuroVolley 2026 – Calendar
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