France make it two straight as Germany survive Romania fightback

France maintained their perfect start to CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men with a second straight-set victory over Türkiye, while Germany were pushed to the limit by hosts Romania before securing a dramatic five-set win. With both teams still unbeaten in Pool D, the contrasting victories added another layer of intrigue to an increasingly competitive group in Cluj-Napoca.

France vs Türkiye 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-19)

France maintained their perfect start to CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men on Saturday, claiming a second consecutive straight-set victory with a 3-0 win over Türkiye in Pool D in Cluj-Napoca.

The scoreline suggested a comfortable afternoon for Andrea Giani’s side, but Türkiye remained within reach for significant stretches of the match. The difference came when the sets reached their decisive stages, with France repeatedly finding the extra pressure needed to break away.

That was exactly the scenario France had prepared for.

“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.”

France did just that. They established an early advantage in the opening set and never allowed Türkiye to settle fully into their rhythm, taking it 25-19. The second was more competitive, but another strong finish from Les Bleus turned a close contest into a 25-20 win.

Faure was at the heart of France’s attack, finishing as the match’s leading scorer with 16 points. France collectively produced an impressive attacking performance, converting 43 attacks at 56%, while their reception also gave them the platform to keep Türkiye under pressure.

For Adis Lagumdžija, who led Türkiye with 16 points, the match was decided less by a large difference between the teams than by what happened when the sets approached their conclusion.

“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.”

The third followed a similar pattern. Türkiye stayed in contention, but France again accelerated when it mattered, turning a 16-13 advantage into another 25-19 set and wrapping up the match in three.

The victory leaves France with two wins from two without dropping a set, following their opening 3-0 success against Switzerland.

For 19-year-old Noa Duflos-Rossi, those results are also confirmation that the work France put in before arriving in Cluj-Napoca is beginning to translate onto the court.

“We feel really great because it is good to win the first two games of the European Championship,” Duflos-Rossi said. “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, however, was quick to keep France's strong opening in perspective.

“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, leave their second match still searching for their first victory. For Lagumdžija, there is little value in dwelling on either defeat.

“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.”

For France, it is another three points and another controlled performance. For Türkiye, the margins that decided Saturday's sets have made what comes next increasingly important.

Romania vs Germany 2-3 (22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 13-15)


After straight-set victories in their opening two matches, Germany arrived as the favourites. Romania, however, had little interest in following the script.

Massimo Botti's side edged two tight opening sets, but the match changed completely from the third. Driven by an increasingly vocal crowd of 4,382, Romania refused to let Germany pull away, taking the third 25-22 before producing their most dominant Volleyball of the night in a 25-15 fourth set.

Suddenly, a match Germany had led 2-0 was reduced to a race to 15.

Romania carried their momentum into the tie-break and led 10-9, but Germany found enough composure in the closing exchanges to turn it around and eventually escape with a 15-13 win.

For German middle blocker Theo Mohwinkel, who was introduced during the match, the victory was as much about finding something mentally as physically.

“I think it was really hard for us in this match,” Mohnwinkel said. “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.”

With Romania feeding off the energy inside BT Arena and pushing Germany to the limit, there was no comfortable solution.

“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 numbers underline just how closely the teams were matched. Romania actually finished with more points overall, 108 to Germany's 102, while the hosts also held a 13-7 advantage in blocks. Germany, however, found the points that mattered most when the fifth set reached its decisive stage.

Mohwinkel was also quick to acknowledge the performance on the other side of the net.

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

Romania leave the court without the victory, but with a point and a performance that showed how dangerous they can be in front of their home supporters.

Germany, meanwhile, remain unbeaten after three matches in Pool D. Their third victory looked nothing like the first two, and perhaps that was its greatest value.

This time, Germany could not simply control the match.

They had to find a way to survive it.