France, Poland, and Czechia complete #EuroVolleyU22M semi-final lineup

The final phase of the #EuroVolleyU22M in Albufeira has set the stage for an explosive semi-final round, with France, Poland, Israel, and Czechia securing their places in the top four. The defining moment of the third competition day came in a thrilling Pool II clash that re-enacted the finals of the tournament’s only two previous editions. In the semis, France will play Poland whereas Pool I winners Israel will take on Czechia. 

Italy, the 2022 champions, and France, the 2024 titleholders, delivered a masterclass of youth Volleyball. Italy opened with a roaring 6-0 lead in the first set, but France fought back to steal an incredible 33-31 victory. While Italy claimed the second and fourth sets, France secured the crucial third set 25-20, which mathematically guaranteed their semi-final spot. France eventually took the tie-break to win the match 3-2 (33-31, 19-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-11). Italy’s Diego Frascio was the match top scorer with 28 points, while Joris Seddik led France with 13. French coach Slimane Belmadi reflected on the high-stakes battle, saying, “We started poorly, going down 0-6, and made too many mistakes on our serve, but we managed to settle that problem. We needed two sets to qualify, and once we had them, the players relaxed and I rested those with minor physical issues. It is great to finish with a win against this team.” 

Earlier in Pool II, Czechia made history by defeating Bulgaria 3-1 (29-27, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21) to secure their first-ever semifinal appearance, surpassing their previous 7th-place best from 2024. Vaclav Seidl powered the Czech team with 21 points, while Zhasmin Velichkov scored 14 for Bulgaria. Czech coach Michal Nekola praised the effort and the fans: “It was a very difficult match. Bulgaria played very well and we had to give our absolute best. I am very proud of my players because we managed to qualify for the semi-final of a very strong competition. I would also like to thank our fans, they are crazy and give us even more energy.” 

In Pool I, Poland took full advantage of an already-qualified Israeli team that rested its key players. Poland cruised to a heavy 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-14, 25-15), thus knocking Portugal and Ukraine out of semi-final contention. Wojciech Gajek scored 16 points for Poland, while Eliya Kirshenbaum led Israel with 10. Looking ahead, Polish coach Piotr Graban embraced the high pressure of the next round: “We are very happy to be in the top four. Now, we have nothing to lose. Since we are in the semi-finals, there will certainly be a battle among the best teams in Europe. There is no middle ground; we have to risk everything, one hundred percent, and put everything into winning.” 

The day’s other Pool I fixture saw Ukraine defeat host nation Portugal 3-1 (25-12, 25-22, 24-26, 25-23) in a hard-fought, physical encounter. Portugal struggled heavily against Ukraine’s massive net defence in the opening sets but fought back passionately to claim the third set 26-24. Ultimately, Ukraine’s Maksym Tonkonoh proved unstoppable, scoring a match-high 32 points to seal the victory, while Rafael Pinto led Portugal with 16 points. Despite the loss, Portuguese head coach João Franco expressed great pride in his squad, saying: “We did not start the best way, but I think we finished well. These last sets show what Portugal is capable of. Our players competed hard against a very strong side, and I am incredibly proud. We have players who may may be shorter but are technically excellent, and we definitely need to look at our Volleyball differently and bet on these young players.”