Sweden sign off with victory as Slovakia’s EuroVolley hopes officially come to an end. Slovenia inflicted to Czechia second defeat in a row!

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Sweden ended their first EuroVolley appearance since 1993 on a winning note, recovering from a set down to defeat Slovakia 3–1 (19:25, 25:23, 25:21, 25:19) at the Palapanini in Modena. The result gave the Swedes their first victory of the tournament, while simultaneously ending Slovakia’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Italy, Czechia, Slovenia and Greece have all secured their places in the next round, although the final positions in Pool A remain undecided.
Italy are the only team whose position is already confirmed, having maintained their unbeaten record.

Both Sweden and Slovakia entered the match searching for their first win, but with very different objectives. Sweden were playing their final match of the competition and could no longer qualify, while Slovakia needed a three-point victory to keep their hopes alive.
The opening set was closely contested, with neither team able to establish a decisive advantage in the early stages. An ace from Erik Gulák gave Slovakia a 7–5 lead, and excellent reception—73% positive—combined with a 67% attacking efficiency helped them move 11–8 ahead. Sweden responded through Axel Enlund, who scored six points in the set, reducing the deficit to 12–11 with a powerful spike.
Slovakia regained control as Gulák and Martin Rendla took charge, moving their team 21–17 in front. Daniel Sellong then added an ace to create a series of set points, and Slovakia converted their opportunity to win the opener 25–19.
Slovakia again made the stronger start in the second set, moving 11–8 ahead after an ace from captain Jakub Ihnát. Ihnát was particularly influential, contributing 10 points in the set, including a block against Hampus Ekstrand that helped his team extend their lead to 16–12.
Sweden, however, refused to let the set slip away, and Jakob Ekman and Jacob Link kept the pressure on, scoring five and six points respectively as the Swedes closed the gap to 19–18. Two consecutive plays from Ekman—a block followed by a powerful attack—turned the score around and gave Sweden a 22–21 advantage. They continued to push forward before Ekman sealed the set with another decisive spike, levelling the match at 25–23.
With Slovakia unable to afford another dropped set, the third began with both teams maintaining a high level of intensity. Slovakia struggled to create sustained pressure from the service line, committing eight errors in the set. Sweden took advantage, moving 17–14 ahead after a powerful attack from Link.
Slovakia tried to respond, but Sweden controlled the closing stages and held a 21–18 lead before completing the comeback at 25–21. Enlund and Link led the Swedish scoring in the set with four points each, leaving their team just one set away from victory.
Slovakia started the fourth set with a narrow advantage, but Sweden quickly recovered and levelled the score at 11–11. Gulák’s ace restored Slovakia’s lead at 14–12, yet Sweden remained determined to finish their campaign with a victory. Ekman and Link helped turn the set around, moving Sweden 17–15 ahead.
Axel Algulin then made an impact from the service line, including an ace during a strong Swedish run that extended the lead to 21–16. Slovakia continued to fight and saved three match points through some impressive blocking, but Sweden eventually found the answer. Ekman delivered the decisive spike to close out the set 25–19 and secure Sweden’s first win of EuroVolley 2026.

Link finished as Sweden’s leading scorer with 16 points through 54% in attack and one ace. Ekman added 15 points, while Axel Lund contributed 14. Gulák was the match’s top scorer with 19 points for Slovakia.

“It was great to bounce back after the loss yesterday. Obviously, we were very disappointed after yesterday’s defeat, so it feels good to end this tournament on a high note. Obviously, we had higher hopes and wanted to get out of the group, but this is what it is now. It’s been a great experience for us, so I hope we learned a lot. It’s been an amazing experience to play here in Italy,” said Jacob Link, captain of Sweden.

MORE TO FOLLOW

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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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