Defending Champions Poland sweep Germany and fly to Semifinals!

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The title defense continues!
Defending champions Poland have officially secured their spot in the Semifinals after defeating Germany in a commanding straight-sets sweep at the CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026: 25:23, 25:17, 25:17.

Despite a convincing 3–0 victory, the final scoreline does not fully reflect how competitive the opening stages of the match were.
The first set developed as a close battle from the very beginning, with the teams trading points through 2–2, 4–4 and 7–6. Tim Peter provided some early attacking firepower for Germany, but Poland gradually began to establish control. A German attacking error gave Poland their first significant advantage at 9–6 and prompted Massimo Botti to call his first timeout. Wilfredo León then added his trademark touch with a clever tip at the net for 10–6, before Poland extended the margin to 16–12 through consistent scoring from the wings.
Germany, however, refused to let the set slip away: Tobias Krick and Anton Brehme helped restore Germany’s presence through the middle, while Erik Röhrs became increasingly influential in attack. His contribution brought Germany back to within one point at 18–19, forcing Nikola Grbić to stop the game. Bartłomiej Lemański responded immediately after the timeout to make it 21–19, but Röhrs continued to put pressure on the Polish defence, keeping Germany within reach at 21–22. Poland held their nerve when it mattered most, with Bartłomiej Bołądź producing important kills late in the set before Poland closed it out 25–23.
The numbers reflected Poland’s superiority in attack, with Grbić’s team finishing the set at 62% efficiency compared with Germany’s 50%. Poland also had the better positive reception percentage, 53% to 44%.

The second set was a different story. Poland immediately took control, opening up a 2–0 lead and steadily increasing the pressure. The advantage grew to 13–9 and then 15–9 as Germany began to give away too many points through unforced errors. Poland were particularly effective with their block-out attacks, extending the lead to 16–10 and then pulling further away at 19–11 and 21–12.
Germany tried to find a response late in the set, but Poland were already firmly in command. The reigning European champions closed out the second set 25–17 to move within one set of the semifinals.

Germany made their strongest start of the third set, and for a while it appeared that the match might take a different turn. After a missed serve from Anton Brehme at 3–3, Erik Röhrs produced back-to-back aces from the baseline to put Germany 6–3 ahead. The lead reached 8–4, prompting an early timeout from Grbić.

León tried to steady Poland with a powerful attack for 5–8, but Germany continued to hold the advantage at 10–8. A huge Polish block then brought the teams level at 10–10, although Germany immediately responded to move back in front 12–10 and 13–10.
That was the moment when the momentum began to shift.
Tomasz Fornal produced a quick first-tempo attack for 11–13, before León reduced the gap further with another powerful hit for 13–14. Fornal brought Poland within one at 14–15, and León levelled the score at 15–15 with another spectacular kill.
From there, Poland took control of the decisive exchanges, and Germany could no longer reproduce the intensity of the opening phase, while Poland found another level in attack and defence. The Polish side completed the comeback in the set and closed it 25–17, sealing another straight-set victory and a place in the semifinals.

Across the match, Poland finished with a remarkable 61% attacking efficiency compared with Germany’s 43%.
Germany had only marginal advantages in positive reception, 40% to 39%, and service aces, 2–1, but their 24 unforced errors proved costly compared with Poland’s 16.
Wilfredo León was Poland’s leading scorer with 17 points to his name through an amazing 77% in attack, while Bartłomiej Bołądź added 13.
For Germany, Erik Röhrs finished as the team’s top scorer with 12 points to his name, 43% in attack and two aces.

“This game was not that easy as it seemed, for sure it was not a comfortable 3-0 win. We watched their previous game against Bulgaria and we knew we had to be focused from the first point until the end. In the end, we can be happy with our performance today, 3-0 – this is the most important,” said opposite Bartłomiej Bołądź after the game.

“I don’t think anything went wrong. Poland just played better, and they were more consistent. They’re the best team in the world, and it’s always hard to play against them. We had our chances, but in the end, we didn’t take them. Overall, for the tournament, we could have played better, and we could have played worse. I believe we did well in the group stage. Overall, it was okay, but you always want more,” added German middle blocker Tobias Krick.

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | QUARTERFINALS

Tuesday September 22, 2026
📍Arena 8888 Sofia
•16.00 (Local Time) | France – Romania 3-0 (25:16, 25:19, 25:19)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
👉🏼 19.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Germany 3-0 (25:23, 25:17, 25:17)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

Wednesday September 23, 2026
📍Palavela Torino
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Slovenia 1-3 (22:25, 22:25, 25:20, 13:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Finland 2-3 (25:21, 26:28, 16:25, 25:20, 13:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

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