Denmark secure Turin ticket despite Serbia comeback in five-set thriller, Estonia down Netherlands in four sets!

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Denmark secured their place in the Round of 16 at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 despite suffering a dramatic 2-3 (25:19, 25:21, 21:25, 23:25, 14:16) defeat to Serbia in Tampere.
Knowing that two sets would be enough to guarantee qualification, the Danes delivered a powerful opening performance before Serbia fought back to claim their second five-set victory of the tournament.

Denmark immediately took control of the match, building early advantages of five and seven points as Serbia struggled to find their rhythm. Mads Kyed Jensen led the charge, scoring nine points in the opening set at an impressive 75% attacking efficiency, while Tobias Hougs Kjær contributed with his all-round play in both defence and attack.
The Danish side maintained their momentum through the decisive stages, moving from 22–16 to a 25–19 opening-set victory.
Serbia started the second set with greater intensity, taking early leads at 5–3 and 13–11. Denmark, however, responded quickly and levelled the score at 13–13 before gradually taking control.
Oskar Kjerstein Madsen played a key role, scoring six points despite continuing with a substantial bandage on his head following a collision earlier in the match. Denmark remained composed and secured the set 25–21, earning the two sets they needed to book their place in Turin.
With qualification secured, Denmark appeared to lose some of their initial momentum in the third set. The teams remained close through the opening stages, but Serbia eventually created a crucial gap at 21–19. Veljko Masulović and his teammates seized the opportunity, closing out the set 25–21 and keeping their comeback alive.
Serbia carried that momentum into the fourth set, opening with a 4–1 lead and extending it to 10–6. Denmark fought back once again, drawing level at 13–13 and threatening to end the match.
Mads Kyed Jensen continued to lead the Danish attack, but Serbia responded through Aleksandar Ivović and Masulović. The visitors managed the closing exchanges more effectively, taking the set 25–23 and sending the match to a deciding tie-break.
The final set reflected the entire contest: Denmark started strongly, Serbia responded, and the two sides remained locked together at 14–14. This time, Serbia held their nerve in the final exchanges, securing a 16–14 victory and completing the comeback from two sets down.

Veljko Masulović finished the match with a clear sense of satisfaction after Serbia had recovered from their difficult start: “I don’t know why we started that bad in the first two sets, but we found a way to come back and then we were more confident and focused until the very last point of the tiebreak,” said the Serbian opposite.

For Denmark, the defeat was softened by the achievement of their main objective: qualification for the knockout stage. Serbia, meanwhile, secured another hard-fought victory and demonstrated their resilience after falling behind early.
Denmark will now continue their EuroVolley journey in Turin, while Serbia turn their attention to the final match of Pool C against already qualified Belgium, with the remaining qualification places still to be decided.

In the second match of Day 6 in Tampere, Estonia inflicted to The Netherlands another defeat, this time 3-1 (27:25, 25:22, 18:25, 25:23) to claim their first three points at the competition.

The Netherlands made the stronger start, opening up leads of 9–5 and 14–11 as they appeared to be steering the first set towards a comfortable conclusion. Estonia, however, refused to surrender. Renee Teppan and his teammates gradually closed the gap, drawing level at 16–16 and then 20–20 before forcing a tense finish at 24–24.
That was when Teppan’s experience and composure made the difference. Estonia held their nerve to come back and take the opening set 27–25, making it clear that they had arrived in Finland with ambitions beyond simply participating.
The second set developed into another intense battle. At 10–10, a confrontation between two players led to a red card for both teams, briefly raising tensions inside the Nokia Arena. The incident was quickly put behind them, however, and the more than 1,000 spectators were treated to another closely fought set.
Neither team managed to pull decisively away, but Estonia found the crucial advantage in the closing stages, moving 23–20 ahead. Captain Andri Aganits then produced a monster block to complete the 25–22 win and put Estonia two sets ahead.
The Netherlands responded with renewed determination. Bennie Tuinstra, who scored six points in the set, and Youri Ebbelaar, who added five, repeatedly found solutions against the Estonian block and helped the Dutch establish a commanding 20–12 lead.
Estonian head coach Alar Rikberg attempted to change the momentum by bringing Timo Lohmus back onto the court, but the Netherlands had already built too substantial an advantage. They comfortably closed out the set 25–18 to reduce the deficit and keep the match alive.
The fourth set was once again a point-by-point contest, with both teams fighting to finish their EuroVolley campaign on a positive note. The score remained level at 18–18 and then 22–22, before Lohmus stepped forward at the service line. Two consecutive aces created the decisive separation and helped Estonia build the platform for their final victory of CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men.
Estonia held their nerve through the closing exchanges to secure their first win of the tournament, ending their campaign with a memorable performance.

“We wanted a good picture to finish the EuroVolley and, even if it was not easy at all today either, we got it and we could not be any happier,” said Renee Teppan after the game.

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Wednesday, September 16, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Sweden – Slovakia 3-1 (19:25, 25:23, 25:21, 25:19)
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Slovenia 1-3 (26:24, 13:25, 25:27, 23:25)

🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 12
2. Slovenia 9
3. Czech Republic 8
4. Greece 6
5. Sweden 4
6. Slovakia 0

POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Israel – North Macedonia 0-3 (21:25, 23:25, 22:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Bulgaria 2-3 (25:20, 29:31, 23:25, 25:19, 18:20)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

🏐| POOL B FINAL STANDINGS
1. Poland 13
2. Ukraine 12
3. Bulgaria 11
4. Portugal 4
5. North Macedonia 3
6. Israel 2

👉🏼POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Denmark – Serbia 2-3 (25:19, 25:21, 21:25, 23:25, 14:16)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | The Netherlands – Estonia 1-3 (25:27, 22:25, 25;18, 23:25)

🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 10
2. Belgium 10
3. Serbia 7
4. Denmark 7
5. Estonia 3
6. Netherlands 2

POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Latvia 1-3 (24:26, 25:23, 24:26, 16:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | France – Romania 2-3 (25:16, 27:25, 20:25, 33:35, 12:15)

🏐| POOL D FINAL STANDINGS
1. France 13
2. Germany 11
3. Romania 9
4. Latvia 6
5. Türkiye 3
6. Switzerland 3

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NEXT GAMES: Thursday, September 17, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovakia – Greece
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Slovenia
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – Belgium
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Estonia

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👀|QUICK LINKS
• EuroVolley 2026 – Calendar
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