EuroVolley Pool D in Romania continues – France sweep Türkiye, Germany reject the hosts’ comeback

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France continued their perfect start to CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men with a second straight-set win, beating Türkiye 3-0 in Cluj-Napoca. Germany had a very different afternoon, pushed all the way by hosts Romania before eventually escaping with a 3-2 victory. Both remain unbeaten in Pool D, but their third matches could hardly have been more different.

France controlled the key moments against Türkiye, winning 3-0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:19). Türkiye stayed close for long stretches, but France repeatedly found another gear when the sets entered their decisive phases.

“We knew this team is difficult to play when they are in front and when they find their rhythm on serve,” said Théo Faure. “When they are behind, they can struggle a little bit more, so we knew from the beginning that it was important to start well.”

And France did exactly that.
They built an early lead in the opening set and never allowed Türkiye to fully settle, closing it 25-19. The second was tighter, but Les Bleus again produced the better finish to take it 25-20.

Faure led all scorers with 16 points, while France’s attack proved particularly effective, producing 43 kills at 56%. Their reception also gave the French side a solid platform to maintain pressure throughout the match.

Adis Lagumdžija matched Faure’s 16 points for Türkiye, but felt the difference came down to the closing exchanges: “They played a little better in the closing moments of the sets,” Lagumdžija said. “Until then, we were going neck-and-neck, but then someone would come to serve and break our rhythm. We couldn’t manage those crucial moments well enough,” he said.

The third set followed the same script. Türkiye remained within touching distance, but France moved ahead 16-13 and never surrendered control, closing out another 25-19 set to complete the sweep.
It was France’s second 3-0 victory in as many matches, following their opening win over Switzerland, and another indication that their preparation is translating quickly onto the EuroVolley stage.

“We feel really great because it is good to win the first two games of the European Championship,” said 19-year-old Noa Duflos-Rossi. “We had a long preparation, a good preparation, and we felt ready to play this tournament. It is good to see that we have the level“, Faure was already looking beyond the perfect start.

“We are happy to take the win like this, and it gives us confidence,” he said. “But we have only played two games. Now we need to focus on the next one.”

Türkiye, meanwhile, are still waiting for their first victory. Lagumdžija believes the response has to be immediate: “We need to learn from this. We don’t have the luxury of making more mistakes,” he said. “We will look at these two matches as history and focus forward.”

If France’s win was built on control, Germany’s third victory was built on survival.
Germany arrived against Romania having won their opening two matches in straight sets, but the hosts turned the contest into their biggest test of the tournament. Massimo Botti’s side edged the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23, only for Romania to completely change the momentum.
Backed by 4,382 fans at BT Arena, the hosts took the third 25-22 before producing their strongest stretch of the match in the fourth, racing to a 25-15 win and forcing a deciding set.
Romania carried that momentum into the tie-break and led 10-9, but Germany stayed composed when the pressure peaked. The visitors found the final points they needed to turn the set around and close out a 15-13 victory.

“I think it was really hard for us in this match,” said German outside hitter Theo Mohwinkel. “We were the clear favourites, but this was our third match back-to-back-to-back, so you could see that everybody was really tired.”

Romania’s home crowd made the task even more difficult, but Germany refused to let the match slip away.

“In the end, we somehow found a way back in the tie-break and stayed mentally ready,” Mohwinkel explained. “Then we took our chance.”

The statistics underline how closely fought the match was. Romania actually scored more points overall, 108 to Germany’s 102, and dominated the blocking battle 13-7. Germany, however, had the better answer when the fifth set reached its decisive moments.
Mohwinkel also had praise for the hosts.

“Romania played amazingly with the home crowd pushing them,” he said. “Props to them. It was a really great game from them.”

Romania leave with one point and the clear message that they can trouble the strongest teams in Pool D, particularly in front of their home supporters.
Germany leave with three more points and an unbeaten record after three matches — but this time, there was no easy route to victory. They had to fight for it.

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Saturday, September 12, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Sweden – Czech Republic 2–3 (22:25, 23:25, 25:23, 25:17, 13:15)
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Greece – Italy 0-3 (23:25, 23:25, 16:25)

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

POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
16.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Israel 3-0 (25:16, 25:17, 25:18)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
19.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Ukraine 1-3 (23:25, 22:25, 25:21, 21:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

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

POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 15.00 (Local Time) | Denmark – The Netherlands 3-0 (25:17, 25:20, 25:20)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Finland 2-3 (25:23, 20:25, 19:25, 25:23, 10:15)

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

👉🏼POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
17.00 (Local Time) | France – Türkiye 3-0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:20)
20.00 (Local Time) | Romania – Germany 2-3 (22:25, 23:25, 25:22, 25:15, 13:15)

🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Germany 8
2. France 6
3. Romania 3
4. Latvia 3
5. Türkiye 0
6. Switzerland 0

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NEXT GAMES: Sunday, September 13, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
16.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Sweden
21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Slovakia
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
16.00 (Local Time) | Portugal – Israel
19.00 (Local Time) | North Macedonia – Poland
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
15.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Denmark
18.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Serbia
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
17.00 (Local Time) | Switzerland – Türkiye
20.00 (Local Time) | Latvia – France

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