Finland and Italy to lock horns in EuroVolley quarterfinal in Torino
Recap
The CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men knockout stage got underway in Torino on Sunday, with two eighthfinals on schedule at Palavela. Co-hosts Finland became the first team to book their place in the quarterfinals after edging Greece in a thrilling five-set battle, with the Marttila brothers and Joonas Jokela leading the way. In the second match of the day, played in front of 7,580 spectators, Italy swept Denmark in straight sets, putting on a true block party with 15 blocks. The hosts will now face Finland in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Finland vs Greece 3-2 (22-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13)
The clash between Finland, who finished second in Pool C, and Greece, who placed third in Pool A, kicked off the playoff stage in Torino. Finland had a chance to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, while for Greece, a victory would secure their best EuroVolley result since 1987, when they reached the semifinals.
Greece opened the match with confidence, racing to a 5-1 lead with Angelos Markou at the service line. Markou was also their leading contributor in attack, scoring seven points in the set at a 67% success rate. Greece maintained a comfortable advantage up to 14-7, but Finland, powered by Joonas Jokela and the Marttila brothers, began to fight their way back. An ace from Luka Marttila reduced the deficit to just one point at 21-20, putting Greece under pressure. Head coach Konstantinos Christofidelis called a timeout, and his team responded in the closing stages, eventually sealing the set 25-22 after a decisive spike from Markou.
Finland worked hard at the net to race to a 4-1 lead. The block became their most effective weapon, as they scored six points in this element in the set, maintaining their advantage at beginning of the set (7-3). Although Greece tried to reduce the deficit, Finland remained firmly in control, holding an 18-11 lead. Nooa Marttila led the way with seven points in the set, including six kills at a 60% success rate. Joonas Jokela, who contributed three blocks, and Mika Haapaniemi, with two, were particularly effective at the net, making it difficult for Greece to find a way through. Finland remained composed in the closing stages and confidently sealed the set 25-16 to level the match.
Markou once again led Greece with a strong service run (including one ace) as the Hellenic side raced to an early 4-1 lead. Luka Marttila and Joonas Jokela tried to spark Finland’s comeback, and after an ace from Severi Savonsalmi, the Finns reduced the deficit to just one point at 8-7. After a tight battle, Greece restored their four-point advantage at 15-11. Finland, led by the Marttila brothers - Luka with five points and Nooa with six - continued to fight their way back, cutting the gap to 15-13. Greece responded through Markou and Alexandros Raptis to maintain control at 18-14. Two consecutive aces from Nooa Marttila brought Finland within touching distance at 19-18, but Greece held their nerve in the decisive stages, relying on an excellent attacking performance that saw them achieve a 73% success rate. Raptis led the way with eight kills at 80% success, while Markou was flawless with four kills from four attempts. Greece eventually closed out the set 25-22 after a decisive spike from Lampros Pitakoudis, moving to within one set of a historic place in the quarterfinals.
With no more room for mistakes, Finland played with great focus, producing a tight battle with Greece from the very beginning, with the teams level at 10-10. Neither side was able to gain a significant advantage as they exchanged powerful spikes from both sides of the net. In the middle of the set, consecutive spikes from Luka Marttila and Joonas Jokela helped Finland move 16-13 ahead. The Hellenic side responded immediately, however, scoring three points in a row through Angelos Markou and Athanasios Protopsaltis to level the score once again. Just when it looked as though Greece were heading strongly towards victory, Finland continued to apply pressure. Two missed spikes from Markou in the closing stages proved costly, allowing Finland to seal the set 25-23 and force a deciding fifth set.
Finland carried their momentum into the deciding set, taking an early 3-1 lead as Greece struggled to rediscover their rhythm. Powered by the Marttila brothers, Finland extended their advantage to 7-4, but Greece refused to give up, fighting back to level the score at 7-7 through Pitakoudis and Protopsaltis.
A nail-biting battle then unfolded, with every point fiercely contested. Finland, led by Joonas Jokela and Luka Marttila, who both contributed four points in the decider, eventually prevailed. Luka Marttila delivered the decisive attack to seal the set 15-13 and send Finland into the quarterfinals.
The Marttila brothers topped the scoring charts with 21 points - Nooa recorded three aces, one block and 17 kills at a 46% success rate, while Luka had 19 kills at 51% success and two aces. Joonas Jokela contributed 20 points, including six blocks, while also achieving a 54% success rate in attack. For Greece, Angelos Markou also finished with 20 points.
Joonas Jokela“It feels freaking good to be in the quarterfinals. Of course, we were the 'upperdogs' for this match, but we didn’t start and handle it well at the beginning. There were really a lot of emotions that we needed to push through in this difficult match and win, and we can’t wait for the next match.”
player of Finland
Italy vs Denmark 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-11)
Denmark had reached the EuroVolley knockout stage for only the second time, having previously achieved the feat in 2013 when they hosted the tournament. Italy, meanwhile, are regulars in the last eight, having reached the quarterfinals in each of the last seven editions.
Italy made a strong start, racing to a 4-1 lead, but Denmark showed no fear, celebrating every won rally as they refused to let the world champions pull away. Simon Uhrenholt delivered an ace, while solid plays from Mads Jensen and Oskar Madsen helped Denmark close the gap to 7-6. Led by Yuri Romanò (who scored five points in the set) and Mattia Bottolo (who added three) Italy gradually rebuilt their advantage, moving 12-8 ahead and then extending it to 18-12. The hosts were particularly effective at the net, recording five blocks in the opening set alone. Denmark produced some excellent defensive saves, but their efforts were not enough to contain the world champions, who moved 22-15 ahead. With Uhrenholt back at the service line, Denmark fought their way back with three consecutive points, including another ace from their opposite, to reduce the deficit to 22-19. Axel Larsen then added another ace to make it a dramatic finish at 23-22, but Italy held their nerves. A decisive block on Jensen closed out the set 25-22 in the hosts' favour.
Italy opened the second set with full determination, racing to a 6-3 lead and taking control at 11-7. Denmark, however, refused to make it easy for the hosts, living up to their captain’s pre-match promise to give their absolute maximum on the court. Giovanni Sanguinetti led Italy’s attack with five points in the set, helping the world champions extend their advantage to 16-9. Oskar Madsen then produced two consecutive aces to spark another Danish response and reduce the deficit to 16-12, but Italy remained firmly in control. The hosts continued to dictate the pace, moving 21-14 ahead before confidently closing out the set 25-16 to take a 2-0 lead.
A good service run from Alessandro Michieletto helped Italy make another fast start, as the hosts raced to a 4-1 lead and quickly extended their advantage to 12-5. Michieletto found his rhythm in the middle of the set, scoring five points as Italy continued to finish rally after rally with authority, moving 15-6 ahead. The world champions completely dominated proceedings, also proving highly effective at the net with six blocks in the set. An ace from Yuri Romanò gave Italy a series of match points, before the opposite delivered the decisive spike to close out the set 25-11 and send Italy into the quarterfinals, where they will face Finland on Wednesday.
Romanò topped the scoring for Italy with 14 points, including 11 kills at a 61% success rate, one block and two aces. He shared the match-high with Denmark’s Mads Kyed Jensen, who also scored 14 points, including 11 kills and three aces. Giovanni Sanguinetti and Pardo Mati (six blocks) added 11 points apiece for the hosts.
Giovanni Sanguinetti“We are happy that we managed to get the win in only three sets. Especially in the first set, they were a very tough opponent to face. They played really well and also served hard. But we had a very good mindset and did not lose confidence when our reception was a little bit in trouble. We managed to turn it around, won the set and later the entire match, so we are very happy.”
player of Italy
This is what the road to the final weekend in Milano currently looks like:
