France take control as Switzerland finally find their reward in Cluj-Napoca

France underlined their dominance in Pool D with a commanding straight-set win over Germany to finish top of the group, while Switzerland finally turned their competitive displays into a victory by overcoming Latvia in four sets. Both matches brought contrasting outcomes as the pool stage reaches its conclusion in Cluj-Napoca.

Latvia vs Switzerland 1-3 (22-25, 19-25, 25-16, 22-25) 

Switzerland finally turned competitive performances into a winning result at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men, overcoming Latvia 3-1 in a hard-fought Pool D encounter in Cluj-Napoca.

There was little to separate the teams for long stretches, but Switzerland proved more composed when rallies became less predictable. They took a tight opening set 25-22 before building on that advantage with a 25-19 second set.

Latvia, however, have shown throughout this tournament that they rarely go away quietly. Uģis Krastiņš’ side responded strongly in the third, increasing the pressure and taking control on their way to a convincing 25-16 win.

Suddenly, the match was open again.

The fourth produced another close contest, with Latvia pushing to force a tie-break and Switzerland trying to avoid allowing another match to slip away. This time, Juan Manuel Serramalera’s players held their nerve, taking the set 25-22 to complete their first victory in Cluj-Napoca.

Alexander Lengweiler felt Switzerland’s ability to deal with difficult situations made the difference.

“There were a lot of high-ball situations, a lot of out-of-system situations, and I think we managed them better,” the Swiss middle blocker said. “We had problems as well, and they made good points, but in the end we were more efficient and made fewer mistakes. I think that was the big difference.”

Switzerland also found an important weapon from the service line, finishing with five aces and repeatedly making it difficult for Latvia to establish their preferred rhythm.

That was also the area highlighted by Latvia outside spiker Armands Rokjāns afterwards.

“They put a little bit more pressure on us with their aggressive serve,” Rokjāns said. “I think that was the reason why we couldn’t make that push together.”

The defeat was a frustrating one for Latvia after a tournament in which they had already beaten hosts Romania and taken a set from France. Yet Rokjāns preferred to look at what the team had built during their time in Cluj-Napoca.

“We improved our defence, that’s for sure. We play more compact and with more variety,” he said. “But we play as a team, we lose as a team, and we grow as a team.”

For Switzerland, meanwhile, the result brought the reward that had been missing from their previous performances. They had challenged France, taken a set from Germany and shown competitive stretches throughout the pool.

Against Latvia, those stretches finally became a victory.

France vs Germany 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-19)

France saved one of their strongest performances in Cluj-Napoca for their biggest test yet, defeating Germany 3-0 in the meeting of Pool D’s two unbeaten teams at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men.

France took control early and rarely allowed Germany to find the rhythm that had carried them through the tournament. Andrea Giani’s team combined sustained service pressure with an efficient attack to secure first place in the pool.

The opening set offered the closest contest. Germany stayed within reach, but France were cleaner when the decisive points arrived and closed it 25-21. From there, the gap grew. France pushed harder from the service line in the second, disrupting Germany’s reception and taking the set 25-17 before completing the straight-set victory 25-19 in the third.

Théo Faure once again led the French scoring with 18 points, including 15 in attack and two aces. François Huetz added 12 points and was particularly damaging from the service line with four aces, while Mathis Henno contributed 12.

France finished with nine aces to Germany’s one and attacked at 60% as a team, numbers which reflected the pressure Germany were under throughout the match.

“We’re really happy with how we played,” Faure said. “We started really well and put a lot of pressure on serve. We’re happy to win this game and to win first place.”

The match also carried some recent history. Germany had enjoyed success against France in their previous meetings, including during this summer’s VNL, something neither side had forgotten.

Germany’s Simon Torwie acknowledged there was an extra edge whenever the two teams met.

“France is an opponent that we know pretty well, and they know us pretty well,” he said. “There is more than just the normal Volleyball competition. There is a lot of pride connected to these games.”

Torwie felt France simply found the level required on the night.

“The last three or four games we played against France, we beat them, and I think it finally got to a point where they were like, ‘Not today.’ Everyone on that team played amazing. They played exactly what they had to do, so it’s a fair win for them. It hurts, but that’s just how it is.”

For Faure, those previous encounters provided additional motivation, but the French opposite was already looking beyond them.

“We know that if Germany are confident, they can push a lot on serve and make side-out much more difficult,” he said. “We wanted to push from the beginning and start already focused.”

France have now won all four of their Pool D matches, dropping only one set along the way. More importantly for Faure, their level has continued to rise as the tournament has progressed.

“We are happy with how we increased the level every game,” he said. “Now, in a few days, a new competition starts with the important game coming. Let’s focus on the next one.”

France is unbeaten in the pool stage and in first place. Germany suffered their first defeat, but both now turn their attention to the knockout rounds, where, as Faure put it, a new competition begins.